


Eternal Swim Chronicle - Book 2: Unforgiven Ace

by Artemis_LeFay



Series: Free! Eternal Swim Chronicle - The Reboot Saga - [4]
Category: Free!, Free! Eternal Summer - Fandom, Haikyuu!!, Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball, Slam Dunk
Genre: Action & Romance, Action/Adventure, Crossover, Gen, M/M, Magic, Magical Boys, Male Homosexuality, Multi, Power Play, Protests, Violence, Yaoi, ancient past, multiple sports anime
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-05
Updated: 2016-01-03
Packaged: 2018-04-19 04:42:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 11
Words: 71,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4733156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Artemis_LeFay/pseuds/Artemis_LeFay
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Awakening to the past, the Magic Six remember their ancestral identities from Olympia Magna! However, new invaders from Haikyuu! have arrived with the dangerous Chernobyl Radioactive Crystal that will destroy Sportsbrooke. New secrets are revealed between the characters and interactions of the volleyball exiles. Will this unfinished business be resolved between the two sports?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This arc will cover the Haikyuu!! story but the conflict between them and Kuroko No Basket and Free! will impact a huge plot!

 

リブート **_Free! EtERNaL SWiM CHRoNiCLE_** –スポーツビレッジ –

リブート フリー！エターナルスイムクロニクル–スポーツビレッジ –

**_Reboot – Free! EtERNaL SWiM CHRoNiCLE – Sports Village_** –

~Book 1: Crossroad of Talents – タレントのクロスロード

**~Book 2: Unforgiven Ace –** **許されざるエース** **–** **(You are here)**

~Book 3: Realm of the Bio-Chronicles – バイオクロニクルのレルム

~Book 4: Triad Vengeful Entourage –トライアド復讐の側近

~Book 5: Gateway to Aqua Duniya – アクアドゥニヤへのゲートウェイ

~Book 6: Gekijouban! (Theater Version) – 劇場版

* * *

**~Notes/Introduction:**

Welcome to the Second Book of _Eternal Swim Chronicle_ Series! As you can see, the first story was about **_Kuroko no Basket_** and **_Slam Dunk_** envisioned into a new universe connecting the past and present. The lives of the Generation of Miracles and Marvels were to bring a new complicated storyline entwined by fate with the Magic Six.

You got to see some of the "Family Tree" growing with the revelation of:

_*Makoto and Midorima are half-brothers through the mom, Queen Misa. Toru Hanagata (from Slam Dunk) is the true father of Midorima._

_*Daigo is the uncle of Rin, brother of Toraichi and the late Mamoru Matsuoka._

_**Queen Kyou and King Freyr, the elder King & Queen of the Matsuoka Family.  
_

* * *

**~What to expect in this Storyline:**

*Conflict with the Haikyuu! vs. Kuroko no Basuke (and Free! also)  
*The "Death Mark" on Alexa on the 7th/Final Night of the Purification

*YAOI! (Yes I promise to bring some love now finally!)  
***Backstories on: RinHaru, ReiGisa, and MakAl that will lead up to the passion scenes.

*A new "city" far to the west of Sportsbrooke, almost on the other side of Olympia.  
***New Locations as well throughout the desert.

*New villains and new allies as well as some old faces from Book 1.  
*Gaardus's "secret". (If you read _Flight of the Phoenix_ Diary Entry 7, you'll know what is going on)

*Backstories on Kise, Murasakibara, Aomine, and Seijuurou (some of them will share ties to the HQ gang.)  
*Taiga Kagami will have a "Special Story" as well.

* * *

_**The New Villains: Black Crows** _

_Leader:_ Shouyou Hinata  
_Wisemaster:_ Chernobyl Pripyat  
_Members:_ Tobio Kageyama, Hajime Iwaizumi, Taketora Yamamoto, and many others!  
(Mostly the people who were banished from Sportsbrooke)

* * *

**~Prologue A: Recap of Book 1**

The Magic Six and the Suiei Gods are back in an all-new adventure! However, they are not the same exact characters from the previous works, _Iwatobi Suiei Gods_ and _Voyage of the Magic Six._

These heroes were born from a realm of water, Aqua Duniya, raised by their royal families and heir to become the Legendary Suiei God Warriors. Their mission; to bring back peace and swimming to the world of all sports. This world, "Olympia" was once part of a larger global realm called "Olympia Magna". However, a terrible catastrophe struck the land when the "Dark One" placed a spell over the land and its people, causing them to war over each other.

After the great planet shattered, many lives were lost or suffered during the last 150,000 years. One of the citizens, Misa was drawn into the depths for eons until the Island of Hawakoto was formed where she then met Tatsuhisa Tachibana. Leaving her past behind (including her first son though she has forgotten that past until her death), she joined the kingdom and gave birth to Makoto, Ran and Ren.

Other families were revealed such as the Matsuoka's. Toraichi, the youngest of the three brothers became part of the kings when a terrible tragedy resulted in the loss of Mamoru (middle child), and the exile of Daigo (eldest) due to his uncontrollable time powers.

Upon birth of the Magic Six, the boys were born and bestowed with great potential in swimming and their magical water powers. By 6 – 7 years old, the team underwent a week long ceremony of "Purification" by becoming one with the water and chanting prayers. However, something happened on the seventh night in which Makoto failed to protect Alexa which resulted in a "ticking-time" death bomb created to eventually destroy him. (This "Flashback" will be revealed in detail later in this book!)

Despite this, they began their swimming lessons and were later trained by a power "Magician" and "Athlete" named Theagenes (This man had unusual powers which traced back to before Olympia Magna shattered). After specializing and racing for several years, the time arrived for them to journey through realms to reach Olympia in order to establish peace and hope for all those who suffered.

After crossing through dangerous realms (see _Before it Begins, Flight of the Phoenix, etc._ ), the gang finally arrived in Olympia during a festival of the "Princess Goddess". The gang arrived in the megacity of "Sportsbrooke" where the festival took place and discovered that the goddess was a man in disguise who was bestowed with his own powers based on the sport of basketball.

One by one, the Magic Six obtained their Suiei powers during times of near death and danger of their loved ones. The powers grew more beneficial as more of them began to master the power of water as adults.

Reuniting with Kisumi (after he previously vanished with Hayato) and making new friends along the way, the Magic Six discovered the truth behind the Goddess and "The Savior". They also learned how the water system worked in the city despite being in the middle of a harsh desert. However, one of the guardians to Kuroko was slipping away to the darkness after learning his tragic past.

Taking revenge in the same manner from before, Midorima calls a match between the team and the Magic Six. The darkness grew in him, turning him into Black Kurorima and having plans to destroy the Tachibana Family by time traveling back to preserve his real father and killing the king. Before the plans were fulfilled, Takao makes a sacrifice of his life in hopes to bring Midorima back, dispelling the darkness in his heart.

* * *

**~Prologue B: Invasion from Afar...  
**

**Scene from Book 1: Crossroad of Talents...**

Makoto stood alongside with Alexa as the others prayed, combining their powers into the staff; the great powers of the Generation of Miracles and the Magic Six were holding up the darkness as the city was shaking.

"Makoto! Midorima!" shouted Alexa, trying to stay focused on the Dark One, "Combine your powers with me! Believe in yourselves. Put your hearts together and focus your attack on him!"

The trio glowed green and golden-yellow with their weapons (The hammer, vase, and the staff) and they shout together:

**_SUIEI CLEANSINNNNNGGGG…HALAAAAATIONNNNNN!_ **

Three blasts of light (2 green and 1 golden yellow) struck at the Dark One as the monster screamed before a massive explosion blinded everyone for several moments. Midorima prayed for Takao as he hoped to one day see him again when they reunite. The Dark One hissed and echoed a scream across space before it vanished into the bright light, unleashing waves of power across the entire planet.

Alexa's necklace shattered, prompting him to collapse out as Makoto and Midorima caught him on both sides. The powers really exhausted his body but everyone was relieved to finally have won the battle.

Once it was over, Kuroko resumed his form as the "Princess Goddess" and used his power to heal the megacity once more, recreating the miracle. The people that witnessed this fight were stunned as the entire city roared in celebration.

* * *

_During the 1 Month of Peace…_  
(Note: This is taking place after the end of the final battle but before the final scene and the cliffhanger)

When the excitement was finally settled down and Sportsbrooke returning to peace, Gaardus ordered the Magic Six to meet outside by the Princess Goddess Statue.

The six stood and waited for the bird to fly in as they wondered what sort of meeting was going to be about. Gaardus arrived at last with its earing glowing blue.

"W-we aren't leaving, are we?" asked Rei.

"No but I am now going to bestow new magic into your hearts," replied the Phoenix, flapping his wings.

Alexa gasped as he saw a small device floating in front of him; it looked like a dragon brooch or something fancy design of a mythical creature.

"Alexa, this is your new upgrade," smiled the Phoenix, "However, we still have yet to find the Legendary Solar Crystal. This can be used to transform to your Suiei form, but with the addition of the crystal, it can provide a better, more efficient device."

"But why would I want to have the Solar Crystal?" asked Alexa as the others were silent.

"That reason cannot be said," said Gaardus.

"Gaardus-chan, how much secrets are you hiding from us?" asked Nagisa.

"It's clear that you're hiding some things," agreed Rin.

"I want to tell you guys everything but it is something I am forbidden to tell until the time is appropriate," replied the bird, "Otherwise if word is out, the next enemy will take the advantage."

"Well what am I supposed to say on the transformation?" asked Alexa.

"Dragon Crystal Power, Make up!" said Gaardus.

_C-Crystal power_ , thought Rei, getting more suspicious.

"How about us?" asked Haruka.

Gaardus chirped, flapped its wings and handed them a set of daggers with a base that represented their spirit animals.

"These wands are also your daggers in case of an emergency while you're not in Suiei form," he said, "They're very powerful so be careful when you use them outside of your Suiei. However, you can use these to transform into your upgrades also."

"And what do we say when we transform?" asked Makoto.

"Your animal…add star…power make up," revealed the bird.

"So we add 'star' into the spell?" asked Nagisa.

"That's correct," said Gaardus, "These are your Animal Star Dagger Wands."

"May I ask why these are dangerous?" asked Rei.

"They're not just ordinary weapons or wands to use," explained the phoenix, "These are organic…and can be a mind of their own. They respond to your emotions."

The bird turned to Makoto and said, "Makoto…I have decided; you will become the team leader. Find Prince Julius and the Solar Crystal!"

"M-Me…le-leader?" he gasped.

* * *

"So that's what he told you?" asked Midorima as he and Makoto sat on the bench at the park the next day while Nagisa, Kise, Rei, and Aomine were hanging out on the playground, playing Frisbee.

"Yes," he answered, "That's our mission from our families…and yours."

"But why though?" asked the megane, "Why would you guys get involved like that?"

"Well do you know anything?" asked Makoto.

"…Theagenes once told me about it," said Midorima, "While I was still in the dark side. He said that the crystal contains powers so great that it could change everything. However, I knew that such power couldn't have existed so I simply asked of him to create a time portal instead."

"Y-you know," replied Makoto, "Maybe you want to live with us?"

"I think doing that would only make me depressed," said Midorima, wiping the fog off of the glasses, "I've already seen it anyway…but I don't deserve that."

Makoto made a low smile as he knew that seeing him back to his senses was at least a sign of finally getting a relationship. However, Midorima was still a bit traumatized by the whole truth of things and it was unstable for his morals (which led him to turn dark). However, the death of Takao made him realized that everything that mattered was once in him…

"I can't bring him back," he sighed, "Takao really was caring for me…even when I pushed him to the side."

"It's not your fault for his death," said Makoto, "I'm sure he wanted to do what he could to bring you back."

"And what about you?" asked Midorima, "I know you've been holding some pain inside."

"…that…is…another story," he answered sadly, "All I know is that by the sunset of his 21st birthday…based on the time in Aqua Duniya, the Death Mark will seize his life."

"The one you love that is?" he asked.

"Yes," said Makoto, "We don't have much time left but something has to happen. We're going to need something far beyond a miracle if Alexa's life is to be saved."

* * *

**Nightfall: Kagami's loft**

Kagami sat outside of his loft (there is an exterior portion that is a balcony area) and watched the city night life happening. Normally he would go out with the others and what not but he wanted to have some time and peace for himself this time.

_The Magic Six already took their belongings to the new rooms at the Miracle Palace_ , he thought, _it kinda sucks to have no company around._

He turned to see Kuroko standing there even though the door wasn't knocked or anything.

"It figures," he said.

"Why aren't you coming tonight?" asked Kuroko.

"…there's something that I found and it's making me question my origin," answered Kagami.

"Which is…?" began Kuroko.

Kagami opened up an envelope and revealed a metallic necklace with a ring on it. Kuroko noticed that he wore another one just like it.

"This necklace has its origins that I do not wish to revisit. I was going to throw them away but ever since we saved the others, I didn't know how to give back properly. So I want you to wear one, to symbolize our friendship and our brotherhood of Seirin," he explained.

Kuroko received the necklace and smiled, "Thank you. But who originally wore this, if I may ask?"

"…someone who was once a friend of mine. He actually taught me how to play basketball too but then some weird things were happening and I had to run away from him," said Kagami, "However, I am here now in this town and that's all that matters."

"I see," he answered.

"Don't worry about it," replied Kagami.

"So do you want to attend to the party?" asked Kuroko, "We can't be complete without our savior…"

"Alright," he smiled and the two left.

* * *

**Present Day: The Invasion of The Black Crows!**

After a few weeks of minor incidents and overall peace, the black cloud of crows invaded the megacity, striking the shields down as the people panicked in fear.

The Magic Six woke up to hear this news and were already getting out the door.

"I'm starviiiingggg," moaned Nagisa.

"We'll have to eat afterwards!" replied Rei.

"Everyone, get yourselves ready!" said Rin as he prepared his Shark Star Dagger Wand.

"I didn't think we'd be using this so soon," nodded Makoto.

"With all of you guys," said Haruka, "We'll fight these new enemies off!"

"I'm going to fly on ahead to see what's happening," replied Gaardus, taking off, "Hurry up and arm yourselves!"

"Yeah, let's transform!" nodded Alexa, readying his Dragon Suiei Crystal Brooch on his chest as it glowed softly. The others nodded in reply and they all shouted:

**_"DOLPHIN STAR POWERRRR…"_ **

**_"SHARK STAR POWERRRR…"_ **

**_"PENGUIN STAR POWERRRR…"_ **

**_"BUTTERFLY STAR POWERRRR…"_ **

**_"ORCA STAR POWERRRRR…"_ **

**_"DRAGON CRYSTAL POWERRRRR…"_ **

**_"MAAAAKKEEEE UP!"_ **

* * *

Haru's Dolphin Star Dagger Wand flickered and then exploded bright blue lights that matched his ocean colored eyes. He grabbed the dagger as his nails turned blue before he danced his way through the transformation sequence. The arms and triceps flexed and twitched the muscles as ripping energy waved through his body.

* * *

Rin's Shark Star Dagger Wand flickered and glowed a series of red lights as his body became transparent into the background of his transformation sequence. He grabbed the dagger (his nails turned red) and danced his way through the lights of fire as he could feel the heat of the competition waving through his system.

* * *

The blond made a series of cartwheel flips, obtaining the rest of his clothes; the red-white vest, the sashes of purple and the skirt-like pants for his legs. Nagisa made a soft smile and giggle as several penguins made chirping noises in the background, assisting him with the rest of the jewelry and other pieces that were missing.

As for his new weapon, the Star Dagger transformed into a two-handed broadsword at the side of his sash. The Suiei necklace appeared beneath his outfit as it shined at the ready.

* * *

Waving out his hands in the butterfly stroke motion, Rei donned the black sleeves and the golden cuffs on his elbows. The butterflies fused together to form his red turban with the white feather on top before it gently was placed on his head.

He spun around as his red glasses transformed into sliver frames as his lower half of the body morphed out a white pair of loose pants and black shoes. The sash finally formed in multi colors of black, red, and purple where he had his Butterfly Long Riffle attached to his back.

* * *

Makoto clasped his hands together as an explosion of electricity and water flowed through his body. Stretching his hands out, he donned a two-layer green outfit with a black-white stripes on his left side. Raising up his left leg, his pants were cream colored with canvas colored shoes that covered his feet.

A golden-yellow colored turban with an orange rim covered his hair while his Suiei Necklace was visibly seen with an orange necklace and other jewelry that decorated his body. He spun around as a blue vase appeared before him.

* * *

Raising his arms up, Alexa donned armor pads covered the upper limbs while the dragon scales formed over his chest, abs. They shed off, revealing his plates similar to his previous outfit in Solis Power. However, the design was slightly more ornate and ancient looking.

The same golden-yellow majestic cape grew from the armor and the white loose pants with armor boots with new decorated dragon designs on. The Suiei necklace was also "changed" but still kept the same heart shaped locket. His sword returned to his buckle inside the sheath.

Lastly, his helmet with a scarf covering from behind appeared, looking more like a prince than a warrior.

* * *

Haruka opened his eyes and took his battle stance with his Dolphin Razor Sword at the ready.

Rin crossed his arms together in his badass pose at an angle with a wider smirk by showing his shark teeth.

Rei opened his eyes and readied on his weapon with a megane narrowed expression as if he was ready to fire.

Nagisa snapped his fingers as the book opened with the pages flipping magically while he readied himself for the battle with his new sword on hand and the book floating to his left.

Makoto opened his eyes with a smile as his innocent-like expression was hidden with a gentle-yet-serious attitude that knows no bounds; ready to face off the enemy. He grabbed the vase and readied himself.

Alexa spun around with his Dragon Kopis Sword at the ready, opening his eyes to see the source of his prey.

* * *

**In the Northeastern Suburbs of Sportsbrooke:**

Aomine readied his Azure Epsilon Axe as the crows made their attack, screeching loudly. Kise Ryouta chanted out his sword, unleashing spheres of light to shoo them off.

Midorima managed to swing several of the birds away with his Emerald War Hammer while Akashi fired from his Crimson Empire Crossbow fused with powers from his emperor eye.

"It just HAD TO BE CROWS!" roared Murasakibara as he unleashed his Byzantium Archimedes Claws, using his massive height ability to swap them down before quashing them with his feet.

"I forgot how much you despise those birds," said Akashi, "But with Takao as a…?"

"That's a Black Raven…I hate crows because of their weird noises!" he growled as he struck again while Kagami threw several of the teeth daggers at the birds, stabbing them down.

A blast of light struck through the areas, prompting the VS to see the Magic Six at the ready.

"We have arrived now. But who is trying to get into the city?" asked Alexa.

"These aren't even the demons that we are familiar with!" said Kise, "At least they're not from the Dark Curse that is."

"What are they to be exact?" asked Rei.

"Crows," replied Kuroko, "They were breaking the shields down. Several of them got into the city though and are attacking several of the inhabitants."

Before more questions were asked, a moderate-low laughter could be heard coming from the dust storm ahead.

"It sounds like a young man's?" asked Makoto.

"More like a kid," muttered Rin, readying his weapon.

"That voice…" said Midorima quietly, "No it can't be!"

Akashi prepared his emperor eye and asked, "Who is it that brought you here?"

"I am," replied the leader as he unveiled his hood, "It's been a while…Akashi."

"So you and your folks have survived the harsh desert?" he answered, **_"Shouyou Hinata?!"_**

Shouyou smirked and replied, "I may still be small but I know how to jump when I see my prey. Also, I was able to see the world at its harshest personality it could ever offer. I can't thank you enough for that."

The orange-haired man looked at the Magic Six and said, "Welcome to Sportsbrooke, Suiei Gods. I see you have taken an alliance with an enemy of ours that was also your own. How delusional..."

"What the hell are you talking about?" asked Rei, "These people are not enemies!"

"They were many, many years ago," explained Shouyou, "And if I am not mistaken…the remnants of the body in the underground reservoir…are not of Julius."

"Just how do you know that!?" asked Makoto.

"What business do you have here?!" growled Midorima.

"We are the Black Crows of Karasuno City. And as for what we demand…" replied Shouyou, "… _Give me the Legendary Solar Crystal of Destiny and you can have this wretched town back._ "

"The crystal does NOT exist any longer," said Kuroko, "It hasn't been seen for eons so what makes you think it will suddenly show up?"

"For that…I can explain," he answered, "Only Prince Julius has it…and he's standing right here before you…he's among you folks. Now give me the crystal…"

The others looked at each other as if the invader was stupid. However, Shouyou knew so much better as he snickered before saying, "You guys don't know? Thanks to an important ally of ours, we learned that the Legacy of Julius and his team have survived all these years!"

"And what makes you think that is he?!" asked Rei.

"It's simple; you and the others have forgotten," said Shouyou.

Shouyou raised his hand up high as black and red electric shadow swirled around, unleashing the power of the Radioactive Chernobyl Crystal.

**_"And now...it's time for you to wake up…your majesty…"_ **

He unleashed a blast right towards the man who stood when Makoto threw himself up at it, screaming intensely through the attack.

"MAKOTOOOOOOOOOO!" screamed Alexa as he took in the bright blast, shielding him.

* * *

**_~Episode 1: Awakening of the Past; Prince Julius!_ **

The Real Story of the Ancient Past begins here!

Water Weds. September 9, 2015!

* * *

**Notice** : Due to my busy college schedule, _**there will be one episode/chapter per week** **!**_ This story arc will be done sometime in Mid-Late October!


	2. Chapter 2

**_~Episode 1:_ ** **_過去に目覚め。プリンスジュリアス！_ ** **_  
Awakening of the Past; Prince Julius!_ **

_Warning: Some mild-yaoi-ish scenes...  
_

* * *

Makoto could barely open his eyes as he could feel an echo of a name…it wasn't his own...or was it?

_Makoto…MAKOTO…PLEASE WAKE UP! MAKOTOOO! MAKOTOOOOOO!  
_

"S-someone is calling me…" he muttered, "But who is it? Why does the voice sound so familiar?"

He saw the man standing before him along with another being looking exactly like him. Makoto gasped as he realized that the man in his dreams was actually Alexa all along! However, the other person…

_Antonius…ANTONIUS…PLEASE WAKE UP! ANTONIUSSS! ANTONINUSSS!  
_

Makoto gasped as the name was beginning to echo in his head. He turned around to see a man exactly like himself but wore ancient-like clothing and a crown on his head. The hair…the eyes…matched his own perfectly!

"T-that's me!" he gasped, " _I was Antonius, the Great Ruler of the Pacifica Kingdom! We were all once rulers of the seas where we all served the High Prince Julius who ruled Atlantis, the heart of the Suiei Senshi Kingdoms!_

**_"But then we were destroyed…by the war…eventually reincarnated as ourselves on Aqua Duniya…"_ **

Makoto saw Alexa in the background crying in tears, calling him to wake up from the unconscious.

"Alexa...why are you crying? I'm finally back..."

He reached his hands out to Alexa's face, saying, "To see you again my love… _J-Jul-i-ius…"_

Alexa's face was tearing up as Makoto struggled to stay conscious. After a moment's struggle, the hands dropped as everyone heard that name…

**_"Julius"_ **

Shouyou smirked as he recognized that name all too well from long ago. The others gasped as Makoto's life was at stake. Alexa began to freak out in despair and finally let out a series of screams of anger and sadness.

"Alexa!" shouted Rin but Alexa was still crying out loud, unleashing waves of sonic energy from his mouth.

Suddenly the Suiei Necklace on him exploded and transformed into a golden heart locket with an ancient symbol on it. His body glowed in bright light and his armor transformed into a white toga with golden streaks while the picta was golden-yellow. A crowning band covered around his forehead with golden cuffs on his wrists.

"A-Alexa…?!" gasped Haruka.

"What's going on?!" gasped Kuroko.

"No it can't be!" said Nagisa, "Is it…?"

"The outfits…it matches exactly like…" began Rei, opening the book to see the description and the images.

"I didn't think the seal would break so early," muttered Gaardus, shocked at the transformation, "But will he wake up completely?"

"T-That's…" gasped Kagami, "It's really him! It's **_Prince…Julius!_** "

Alexa slowly opened his eyes as he could hear an echo of a name going through his body and soul…a name that was long forgotten:

_Julius…Julius…Julius…_

The sandy contents in the hour glass from Theagenes began to push itself up, going in reverse against gravity as if it was going back in time. A warmth of energy rippled through his body, sending him into the past.

_The sand…it's going backwards_ , he thought, _taking me back to that time…when our world was whole…_ _ **when we ruled the majestic seas…and I begin to remember at last…**_

He closed his eyes again as he could hear an echo of himself screaming while a man looking like Makoto protected him from a fatal blow.

Alexa gasped as he realized it finally, " _I…I remember now._ **_I…I am Julius…_** "

He looked down at Makoto and realized that his true name…it was….

"I, I finally remember you…my beloved…oh my one and only true love… ** _Antonius_** …"

Alexa/Julius touched Makoto/Antonius' face and spilled a tear, whispering, "I remember how it happened…that day…"

* * *

**~150,000+ Years Ago…Planet Olympia Magna**

When the world was still one and unified place, the great sea of Aqua Aigéan was all in majestic, endless blue that covered the world for endless miles around. The Supercontinent of Tairiku was home to millions of lives living in great happiness. The regions across the landscape had their own culture of sports including:

· Swimming – Aqua Aigean, The "Great Sea"

\- The Great Aigean Isles – Kingdoms of the Swimmer's Clans:

o Atlantis – Julius's Kingdom (later became the Kingdom of the Magic Suiei)

o Pacifica – Antonius's Kingdom

o Iapetus – Poseidon's Kingdom

o Mirovia – Ulysses's Kingdom

o Panthalassa – Suijin's Kingdom

o Nealbara – Romulus's Kingdom

**On Land:**

· Basketball – Teikou City, Xia Country (to the East of Olympia Desert)

· Volleyball – Karasuno, Kingdom of Stokilos (to the West of Olympia Desert)

· Baseball – Seidou, Diamond Province (near Bota Valley)

**A Particular Region, Bota Nui (Jungle Realm) was home to a bunch of other sports:**

· Bicycling – Sohoku, Northern Bota Valley

· Lacrosse – Fujioka, Eastern Bota Valley

· Football – Enma, Deimon City, Bota Valley

· Tennis, Soccer, Rugby, and many others – Keinari, Southwestern Bota Valley

The "Heart" of all Sports – Olympia Arena Magna, Atera Magna which was located in the central region of the supercontinent., This was considered a place where all sports would join up together and celebrate the cultures in competing matches, festivals, and other wonderful things.

_But our tale of the past finally begins now…_

* * *

**~The Great Sea of Aqua** **Aigéan** **  
**

Prince Julius walked across the water with grace and happiness. While it was true that he could only see water around (considering he was on the far side of the globe), he was waiting for his "beloved one" to appear.

His family ruled the Kingdom of Atlantis, the central island of the Aigean Chains. Five other princes ruled around Atlantis in their own island kingdoms, protecting the high prince and his family. While the people here were very kind and respectful to each other and to the people on the continent mainland, the residents were rather a bit ignorant of the problems that were happening across the continent.

It was eventually decided (after the six royal families met up in the Central Court Hall in Atlantis Fortress) that they would keep themselves away from the rest of the world's affairs while still maintaining basic trade routes.

_Is it perhaps the best thing to do_ , thought Julius, _or are we…making a deadly mistake?_

"Waiting too long?" asked Antonius, "My dearest prince?"

Julius turned to see the taller man dressed in his warrior-like outfit with armored chest, shoulder pads, his cloak and boots and a Chlamyas. Julius himself wore a yellow Toga outfit with sandals, a belt, and cuffs along with a crown called Corona Radiata made of bronze and gold with leaves-shaped. Antonius's eyes were green and his hair was olive oil with streaks of brown while Julius's eyes were golden yellow with longer, darker brown hair.

"Antonius," smiled Julius, resting his hand on his shoulder, "My love…our time together does not waste no matter how long I must wait for you to arrive."

The two shared a brief kiss as the ocean waves were gentle as the quiet ponds. Afterwards, the two took a walk across the waters, enjoying the beautiful skies and the birds flying.

"I cannot sleep as of late," sighed Julius, "I keep dreaming of people back on the mainland with their hearts growing darker. We must do something about this. We have the power to do so."

"You know we would," said Antonius, "But our families have forbidden us to walk ashore there."

"But…" began Julius.

"We will keep our hopes and faith to them," answered Antonius.

"Prince Julius!" echoed another voice.

The two turned to see Poseidon, Ulysses, Suijin, and Romulus arriving at the scene.

"Why are you alone on this far side of the world?" asked Suijin.

"Just for some privacy," sighed Julius, "I wanted to talk to Antonius alone."

"Well we do apologize for our disturbance," said Ulysses, "But you know that you mustn't leave the kingdom too far. Everyone is worried."

Poseidon's dark navy blue hair matched with the sea while Suijin's blonde hair sparkled with the sun. Romulus's eyes matched with that of the purple skies during the sunset or sunrise and Ulysses was one of the strongest warriors with his red crimson design and his shark teeth.

"I'm sorry to worry all of you, please don't be upset," smiled Julius, "You're all very important people to me and for each other."

"It's our duty to serve the high prince," said Suijin, "Your powers are the most sacred of the entire planet because it gave fruit and life to this world."

"And in so, we swore to protect you," added Poseidon.

"Y-you guys…" replied Julius with a tearful smile, "Thank you."

Antonius kept Julius close to him, saying, " _Nankurunaisa_ …my love."

The six smiled together and stared at the sunset, knowing that it was getting late. After returning to Atlantis, the four left Antonius and Julius alone and the two made their way through the busy districts as the people smiled and called out their names.

* * *

Once the two made their way up on the massive hills of Greenway, they sat down at the top of the hill and watched the moon rising.

"Antonius…we have to be careful," said Julius, "We can't keep going like this."

"Why?" asked Antonius, moving in closer to his lips.

"People who share the same element of sports cannot fall in love…that was the rule given by god," he answered.

The two shared a deeper kiss and crept in closer with their bodies as they were already lost in another round of deep passion and love. Tossing their garments to the side, the two tasted, touch and played on each other, never wanting to let go.

_I mustn't fall in love with him...I...I...ahhhh...I c-can't..._

"Ah...ahhh…A-Antonius…" moaned Julius as he could feel his love moving in and out but still going in as deep as possible. Antonius's strong body along with his own lean physique put the two at the test as they both enjoyed each others gentle, yet firm skin.

"J-Julius…" breathed Antonius as he looked into Julius's golden eyes while locking his hands together with Julius's.

Antonius swayed faster and faster until they were both drenched in the juices of their ecstasy, cuddling together as they watched the stars shine so beautifully.

"I do not want to let go," said Antonius quietly, "Never."

"...I l-love you," blushed Julius, "Please don't leave me...Antonius..."

* * *

**~Months Later: The Silver War, Tragedy of the Suiei Senshi**

A roar of people crossed the Blue Bridge, invading the Aigean Isles. Already the minor islands around Atlantis were sacked but the main island itself was more difficult to break into.

"YOU PEOPLE WILL PAY FOR THIS!" shouted one of the men.

"YOU CURSED BEINGS!" shouted another.

"IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!"

"GET THE SOLAR CRYSTAL OF DESTINY!"

"THE BASTARD PRINCE IS MANIPULATING EVERYONE!"

Many of these people were men and women who had talents in volleyball, basketball, and other various land sports. The war began back on the main continent when a mysterious substance leaked onto the surface. Assuming that it was coming from the seas, armies from all over made a massive all-out attack to the water region.

Then, rumors were spread of a powerful crystal that contains magic to almost like that of the universe was located in the Heart of Atlantis; the Solar Crystal. This piece of jewel was protected by Julius's family in order to keep it out from the wrong hands. The crystal helps maintain vitality and peace across the entire world.

However, the darkness that arrived at the Olympia Festival at the Great Arena, it spread out a virus that further damaged the people's morals and brought the worst in people's hearts.

The Water Knights tried to fend off the invasion but the massive darkness struck through the protective barriers, allowing them to enter inside. The Civilians fled to the castle in great fear but the darkness waves choked them all down to their deaths.

"ENOUGH OF THIS!" shouted Antonius, raising up his sword, "YOU ARE ALL MISLED BY THE DARKNESS!"

Poseidon, Ulysses, Suijin, and Romulus combated several of the soldiers down and managed to back them away a little.

_"ORCA ACID SPLAAAASH!"_ shouted Antonius.

_"DOLPHIN MAYHEM BLAAAAST!"_ cried Poseidon.

_"PENGUIN WATER STORMMM!"_ chanted Suijin.

_"BUTTERFLY HURRICAAANNEE!"_ shouted Romulus.

_"MEDLEY FLIPPING BLAAAASST!"_ cried Ulysses.

The five combined their attacks as one, blasting a large portion of the army down in hopes to protect their beloved Julius and their families.

"YOU FOOLS!" shouted one of the combating soldiers, "JULIUS IS THE TRAITOR! HE PLANS TO USE THE CRYSTAL ON US!"

"HE WANTS TO TAKE OVER THE ENTIRE WORLD FOR HIMSELF!" shouted a female soldier.

"HOW DARE YOU SPEAK RUDELY ABOUT OUR PRINCE!" growled Ulysses.

Before their eyes, the skies grew dark as the man who appeared in the Great Arena announcing his evil work finally appeared in a physical form.

_**"Suiei Gods…"**_ said Chaos, _**"Surrender your prince and the Solar Crystal and you will all live."**_

"NEVER!" shouted Romulus, "You can't fool us!"

"Then die under the name of all eternal darkness," replied the Dark One.

Chaos snapped his fingers and unleashed several tentacles, stabbing each of them down just as Julius arrived to see the horror happening. Julius screamed as the Solar Crystal on his chest glowed bright light, blasting the darkness away as everything around them turned white.

"No, NO! NOOOO!" he shouted, holding Antonius, "My love! Please answer me! Antonius!? ANTONIUS!? E-EVERYONE!? PLEASE! OPEN YOUR EYES!"

"It won't work…" said a voice.

Julius turned to a small golden dog who spoke, "Reviving the dead is impossible unless you wish to give your own life to them."

"THERE HAS TO BE A WAY!" cried Julius, holding the cold body to his lap, "Please! I need you to help me!"

"There is one alternative solution but…" said the dog, "But the price for it will be far too great for you to bear alone."

"I'll give anything, ANYTHING!" he shouted, "I can't lose the man I love and my beloved friends here!"

The dog turned to a group of men standing before him and smiled saying, "You know what to do."

"W-who are they!? What are they going to do to help?" asked Julius but he collapsed down to slumber as he and the others dissolved away into the mists.

It would take another 150,000 years but it was from there when the Magic Six were finally reborn on Aqua Duniya as Makoto, Alexa, Haruka, Rin, Nagisa and Rei…the Second Generation of the Suiei Gods! With a brand new destiny and mission; to protect their lives _for the Team_ and _for the future!_

_But their true destiny...has yet to awaken._

* * *

**Present Day:**

The echoes of the people killing the Suiei Gods back in the days made Alexa scream louder again, "NOOOOO! ANTONIOUSSSSS!"

Alexa raised up his head and cried out, "Please! Say something! Open your eyes! We finally found each other again after this entire time! I remember everything! Is this our cruel destiny that we were all foretold!? I still haven't confessed you my feelings…my beloved one…the one who I love…MAKOTO-CHAAAANNNNAHHHHHH!"

A massive tear drop fell from his eyes and began to glow and crystallize brighter and brighter, blinding everyone in the vicinity.

"SO BRIGHT!" shouted Rin.

"SUCH POWERFUL FORCE!" cried Rei.

"I CAN'T GET ANY CLOSER!" shouted Nagisa.

"DID HIS TEARDROP CRYSTALLIZED?!" asked Haruka.

Rin and Rei called upon their x-ray visions to see as he saw something glowing in the center of the brightness. It was bright white light with golden sparkles flowing around it.

"I never thought this day would be happening so soon!" gasped Gaardus, watching nearby, "That's the **_Legendary Solar Crystal of Destiny!_** "

Waves of light soared across the area as flowers bloomed and various oasis grew around the vicinity of Sportsbrooke's desert areas. The crystal itself was shaped in a glass ball with spikes around it to represent the rays of the sunlight. Each "ray" represented a color of the magic six in a total of six.

Alexa held the crystal in his hands, praying tightly for Makoto's conscious to return. He couldn't die! There was no way this was going to happen again!

A small beam of light drifted from the crystal and fell into Makoto's chest. After that, everything was silent.

"And here he is…Prince Julius…the mistake of the entire world!" said Shouyou.

"LEAVE ALEXA ALONE!" shouted Rei, unleashing a storm of butterflies.

The orange haired replied with lightning attacks from the Chernobyl Crystal, zapping them to ashes.

"Your honor," said Tobio, "That light from the crystal fell into that man's body."

"Capture him," he replied, "Bring him to us."

"DON'T YOU DARE TAKE MAKOTO!" cried Alexa, unleashing blasts of light.

Tobio replied with darkness attacks to dispel the light powers. Seconds later, Makoto's body was snatched by gigantic-crow-human hybrid beings. Rin, Nagisa, and Haruka unleashed their attacks but it was no use.

_"You might have stopped the Dark One for now_ ," said Shouyou, " ** _But you can never defeat the Darkness from the universe!_** "

Makoto's body floated next to the orange haired as the new enemy concluded, "This is your warning Magic Six…surrender your will to the Chernobyl Crystal."

"DRAGON SEA KING!" shouted Alexa as he unleashed his dragon blast but the water dispelled before it could even strike.

A massive tear in space appeared before them, dragging the enemy and Makoto inside the portal. Aomine, Kise, and Akashi tried to attack as well while the former tried to use his rapid speed to grab Makoto back but it was no use.

"MAKO-CHAAANNNNNN!" shouted Alexa, reaching out but fell unconscious from the shock.

* * *

**Hours Later**

Alexa woke up in his room at the Miracle Palace with the others while the VS were waiting outside the room. The sudden return of memories flowed into the minds of the Magic Six as they recalled their ancient days.

"I'm not a prince!" said Alexa, "There's no way I could've been…not like that."

"But that's who you were," replied Haruka, "You were the great leadership of Olympia Magna all those years ago. We served you and the powers you've been protecting."

"I might be the High Prince of Aqua Duniya but there is no way I could have ever been eligible to hold the Solar Crystal," he answered, looking at it, "H-how…?"

"Because you've been chosen," said Gaardus, "Forgive me. I knew that it was you guys…but I was sworn to keep secrecy."

"Did any of our parents knew about this?" asked Nagisa.

"…Yes," replied the Phoenix as they gasped, "But they swore upon each other to remain silent because they were only speculating at the time. In doing so, they set up the text that taught you history of Olympia Magna and Olympia along with the rest of your education.''

They heard a knock on the door as the Vorpal Swords led by Kuroko walked inside. Alexa looked at the Naismith Crystal Rod as he remembered when he made that eons ago.

"Do you remember this?" asked Kuroko, "It was a gift you sent to him…"

"…V-vaguely," he replied, "I gave it to him so he could protect all things about the new sport. I've given each of the sports a gift from all of our hearts…just to establish peace throughout the world."

Alexa shook his head silently with some tears, saying, _"All for just peace…not to start war...but everyone grew fearsome of its power and tried to steal it!"_

He looked at everyone and said, "Now Makoto is gone…because of me."

"Prince! Do not push yourself!" replied Kagami, "We'll do our best to help you find him!"

"I've somewhat narrowed done the location," replied Gaardus, turning to his hologram map.

"W-where!?" asked Rei.

They looked at the hologram of the globe of Olympia. Sportsbrooke is near the equator of the world while a small red dot flickered almost to the other side of the world in a south-east direction.

"The entire world is really a desert," muttered Rin.

"T-that's our world?!" asked Kise.

"It shouldn't be that surprising," replied Aomine.

"…if my prediction is right," muttered Gaardus, "They're heading to some sort of ruins."

"I…I think I can explain," said Akashi.

The group turned to him as the red-haired continued, "…a couple of years ago, those men and women used to live in this city. However, the city itself prior to what happened never had a need a leader or someone in charge of. We always relied on each other. But then, those people tried to create a secret project but we discovered it first and warned the public which then voted us to become leaders. In the end, I used my power to drive them away from the city."

"Y-your powers…?" asked Haruka,"You mean the emperor eye?"

"Yes," he replied, "I used my eye to exile them from Sportsbrooke and they must have been traveling somewhere to find some shelter."

"Ah so that's why you had Takao going out there," said Midorima, "You had him to spy on them?"

"That's correct," answered Akashi, "I sent Takao there with a bunch of other ravens while you were taking care of the city and searching for clues of your origins."

He took out a stone tablet carved with a cryptic message, "This is what Takao discovered."

_Beware the eyes of the Chernobyl Crystal_  
for its radioactivity will end all of this lasting remaining paradise  
and everything will at least be as harsh as the world itself  
The Dark One…shall rage on…

"...the Dark one," muttered Alexa, remembering something from the Silver War, "…no…I-I can't…"

"What's the matter?" asked Rei.

"…I've seen the eyes of the dark one long ago…before we were killed off. Our home…Atlantis…e-everyone…" he said.

"It's been over 150,000 years," replied Rin, "The teachings of our parents…it wasn't just random history…it was our past lives they were teaching."

Rei unveiled a book he was studying from and showed it to Alexa, "Look. This is you fighting and us lending powers to the light."

"But…I-I can't…"replied Alexa, "This is too much for me! I can't even look at this!"

"Your highness," said Kuroko, bowing to him along with the VS, "Don't be afraid to ask. We have your back. The Solar Crystal belongs to you alone and I know you'll be able to use it to save Makoto."

"Thank you," he answered, "But please drop the fancy titles; I'm just simply Alexa."

_Makoto, please stay alive_ , he thought.

"Rest up now," said Rei, "We'll do our best to locate Makoto."

Alexa nodded as he put the crystal inside the Dragon Brooch and keeping it close to his body.

* * *

Theagenes woke up and found himself in a familiar place from long ago. Knowing that he failed in this mission, clearly the consequences…

"No, I'm not going to kill you," said the Dark One, "Not yet anyway though you have failed quite miserably in the last month."

"S-sir…I…" he began.

"You've been giving lots of power," hissed the Dark One, "And magic that is otherwise forbidden by Cosmos."

"Perhaps but I've done research while I was in Sportsbrooke," replied Theagenes, "There is a candidate who may be perhaps useful of us…one whose powers are not that of the Magic Six nor the Generation of Miracles."

"I have sensed his story…" said the Dark One, "However, I think he's got plenty of more suffering to do before we try to contact with him. What I'm more concerned is…'her'. Where…is… ** _she_**?"

"I'm afraid she still hasn't revealed herself yet," he answered, "Who is this person anyway?"

_"Someone who I was once with…until she killed me…we both ruled in an entirely different world from here."_ replied the Dark One, "But that story will not be said today. I'll erase the recent memories of you from the people so they won't get suspicious of you. GO!"

* * *

Theagenes woke up back in his shop, relieved to still be alive. However, if it wasn't for this conversation, clearly the people would be after him and questioning his identity.

Upon becoming a Dark Magician assistant for the Dark One, he was given a contract that his human body will surpass far beyond anyone else. However, if he fails to hold the darkness in him, the body will weaken and rot away.

_And that, is something I cannot lose_ , he thought, getting up and cleaning some of the treasures.

* * *

"Rei-chan, you want to go out for a walk?" asked Nagisa.

The megane opened his eyes as his face was on the book. He was studying more about the past when Rin and Haruka decided to go out to the store while they were in their own room.

"I should go see Alexa," he answered, "But we'll take a walk, I promise."

Nagisa looked at the megane with a bit of suspicion but shrugged it off with a smile and they walked over. Kuroko and Murasakibara were in the room where Alexa rested.

"How is he?" asked Rei.

"Just sleeping still," said Kuroko, "He's definitely in shock of the memories."

"Well so are we, but why is it bothering him so much?" asked Nagisa.

"…it's because he saw your deaths and he used whatever the power was still in the crystal to change the future," he replied, "At least that's my speculation."

"Then where is the crystal?" asked Rei.

"Gaardus has it safe for now," said Murasakibara, "He took the brooch from Alexa shortly before he went to sleep. And now your pet is out with Rin and Haru-chin."

"Thanks, let's go Rei-chan," smiled the blonde.

Rei stared at Alexa for one last moment before he walked out with Nagisa. However the megane's thoughts were still on Alexa and the past life as Julius.

* * *

**Location: Karasuno City, about 3000 miles to the west.**

In a town still battered by the desert, but unfortunate to not have as plentiful resources, Karasuno stood along with the Nuclear Radiation Facilities. The walls and bricks were made of sand, clay and other adhesive materials that were found.

This land once long ago was very plentiful and was known for its volleyball reputation. Ruled by the Stokilos from the Miyagi Palace, the people were cheerful and welcoming to all visitors. The Miyagi Palace stood majestic and yet modern to the technology and airy back in the days.

But after the shattering of Olympia Magna, the castle crumbled into ruins as the desert sands arrived here and changed the climate though the city was left abandoned.

Strangely enough, the nuclear reactors survived and was left cold for eons. It wasn't until the exiles from Sportsbrooke rediscovered this and were "led" to make the Chernobyl Radioactive Crystal in an act of vengeance.

* * *

Shouyou sat alone in one of the chambers of the ruined palace while he ordered Makoto to be locked up as prisoner. He was still in a cocky attitude of how the Magic Six would dare to ally with the Vorpal Swords/Generation of Marvels.

"They think hope can be reestablished to this world. Why bother?" he muttered, "We lost everything and might as well die with it. But I'll die last with my feet over their grave..."

"Sir," said Tobio, "The villagers need another plea of hope. They're freaking out over the events happening at the reactor."

"I see, very well," he grumbled before he got up and headed out.

"Onii-chan!" said a familiar voice.

He turned to see his sister, Natsu who rushed up to him, "Where have you been?!"

"I had to take care of some business," he said, resting his hand on her shoulder, "But I'm home now again. Big brother's gonna stay this time."

"Are you going out to the village?" she asked.

"Just to promise them a future," he replied before turning away.

While Natsu was only a couple of years younger than him, her emotions were clearly hidden from all of this. Deep down, she knew something was very wrong about him ever since their exile. Everything here, was all wrong.

_I have to do something,_ she thought, _onii-chan has gone completely insane…_

She turned her head to see Yuu Nishionya and Hajime Iwaizumi dragging some strange guy with olive-colored hair with a big body of muscles. Keeping quiet and distant, she followed them to the prison chambers down below ground as they locked him inside before returning to the surface.

_This man_ , she thought, _I can sense great power from him…almost as if…_

* * *

**Outside...**

A group of people consisting of: Yuutarou Kindaichi, Iseei Matsukawa, Lev Haiba, Kei Tsukishima, Makoto Shimada, Yukinari Mori, and a bunch of other folks were playing a round of volleyball by using a metallic fence as the "net".

When their division of volleyball were banished from Sportsbrooke, they had little time to pack up all the equipment. They barely managed to collect a few dozen of the volleyballs before more chaos erupted between them and the civilians.

It took them several months through the desert but they came upon the ruins and took it as their "home". A series of oases were located just about 10 miles to the west which enabled them to have some sort of source of water for who knows how long it would remain.

"Oi!" said Kei, "Haven't you guys heard the rumors?!"

"What rumors?" asked Lev while trying to focus on his turn for the hit.

"Shouyou has captured a prisoner who is said to be from an ancient past," he gossiped.

"Really now!?" asked Daichi Sawamura, not focusing as he got hit in the face by the ball, "OUUUCHHH!"

"Well we scored for that one!" smirked Yuzuru Komaki.

"NOT IN MY FACE YOU IDIOT!" he growled.

"That's enough now!" shouted Shouyou as the audience turned to see him with Tobio and Yuu.

"The prisoner has been locked away," he continued, "No one is to go near him until further notice."

"How about the promise to return home?!" shouted Yuutarou, "HUH!?"

"We will return home once we launch an attack on them," he replied.

"What's with the lame-ass attacks lately?!" growled Lev, "I thought you were going to destroy Sportsbrooke in a single blow?!"

"There is a time for that of course," chuckled the orange haired, "However, we have discovered that our foe has formed an alliance with a group of men…one of which we captured…but the group…"

"Who is it?" asked Kei.

" ** _The Suiei Gods_** ," he replied.

The audience gasped in horror as they all knew too well about Prince Julius and the Solar Crystal; many of their ancestors and parents have told them the stories about how the "Small Giant" shared a friendship to them as well as James Naismith. However, the Silver War caused his team to go berserk and they launched an attack to the kingdoms and meeting face to face against Julius in the final moments. The Suiei Gods were protectors of Prince Julius and the Crystal…

And now here they are…back to this land…

"And you had one of them captured?" asked Nobuyuki.

"He has been locked up in the cells but he will later be brought to the chamber of darkness," said Tobio, "If it is true that they are back…they will clearly try to find and destroy us."

The people murmured among themselves as they were already getting nervous and feared about the history possibly repeating itself.

"Do not worry," replied Shouyou, "We the Black Crows will take back Sportsbrooke…destroying the joint forces and bring the city in our hands. Just bear with us for a little longer and you will all be rewarded."

* * *

Back in Sportsbrooke, Nagisa and Rei walked together, holding hands as they explored one of the street markets going on in the city. They have met up with Rin and Haruka as they were bringing some of the food back for Alexa.

"I hope Mako-chan is alright," sighed Nagisa, "We need Alexa-chan to be in full strength!"

"Gaardus will help us too," agreed Rin, "He said he was going to do more research for us."

"Then let's cheer Alexa up and fill his heart with hope," smiled Rei, "We need to save Makoto-senpai as soon as we can!"

* * *

**Flashback 2: Kagami's Backstory**

Hanamichi Sakuragi guarded the Zone Gate as he carried the Naismith Crystal Rod in his possession, keeping his duty to the zone at all costs. He had no idea how much time has passed in the reality as he was instructed through by Naismith's spirit with a set of "taboos".

· To never leave this "zone"; keep the door protected at all times

· To not use the magic of the staff to create new/multiple zone guardians (except in dire emergency)

· To not be reborn with the same "soul".

However, he was longed to reunite with his friends again for he had deeply missed them. They were after all, the Generation of Marvels.

_I have to do something_ , he thought, _what if they're in great danger again! Please, someone give me a chance to reunite!_

"There is a way," said a voice.

Hanamichi turned to see a small golden puppy staring at him.

"I did not request any trespassers to reach this realm!" he said, aiming the staff.

"I am not here to trespass, I am here to grant a wish," replied the dog, "You've been a guardian to this place for eons of time. And it is clear that your duty and your desire are pushing to your limits."

"…then was I not the right person to guard the gate?" asked Hanamichi.

"I wouldn't say you weren't the right person but…you changed the future because of your decision," said the dog, "Not just for yourself but for the lives of others."

"…how do I leave this place?" he asked.

"Your taboo is to not be reborn in the same 'soul'…but that doesn't mean you can't have one that ties your existence," replied the dog.

"…Then I wish to be in a new body," said Hanamichi, "One whose soul is different but his destiny has not been changed."

"Very well," answered the dog, "As for the price…"

* * *

**Several Years Later…Crescent Spike Mountain Northern Village, Planet Olympia  
**

A young Taiga Kagami carefully walked through his way across the flea market. Rumors were spread that he was adopted to at least 3 families and none of them lasted. His birth parents were killed when he was only 4 years old and a month later he was adopted to a couple that later were arrested for smuggled goods.

However, he learned this technique from observation over time and used it to sneak goods, food, clothing and water. There were times that he had to be careful and was also nearly caught.

This continued till he was about 9 years old or so before he ran away to the mountain village to the east of his original homeland. Here, the people were not much better but had somewhat a better adoption system. Hoping to have a wonderful family, he developed a dual persona; daylight and nightfall.

Today's mission was to grab a small bag of mixed fruit. He walked into the small store and was ready to grab a bag to make his smuggle when his eyes were in contact with another boy whose face was shiny with dark hair and gray eyes. He had a small spot next to his right eye.

Shrugging off, Kagami focused on to steal the fruit when the same boy said, "Here, I'll cover you."

"Huh?" asked Kagami.

"Just do as I say," he replied, "Go!"

The two walked to the counter when the boy took out a wallet with several gold coins and a plastic looking card. Taking the card, the salesperson made the transaction and the two walked out as if nothing ever happened.

"H-how did you…?" began Kagami.

"Picking up some plastic," smiled the other boy, "It's a very powerful technique as long as there's gold in it."

"T-thanks," he replied, "I'll remember that next time."

"So you want to go shopping for food and meat?" said the other boy.

Kagami smiled and the two managed to buy a good amount of groceries and snacks at the other stores. Once they were down, they carried a large bag for themselves as they were walking out like a boss.

"Quick!" gasped the other boy, "I think I hear someone heading towards us. Hang onto your bag!"

"W-what's going…?" began Kagami.

"HEY! HEY!" shouted a man.

"GO!" shouted the boy as they dashed off, trying to get through the crowd and hide themselves in an alley. The man that was hunting them down rushed passed the alley, never noticing the boys there.

The two kids breathed heavily from the running as they chuckled.

"I'm Kagami by the way," said the red-haired.

"Tatsuya…Tatsuya Himuro," smiled the other boy.

"You got my back…and I have yours," said Kagami, "Thanks again."

The two boys sat down inside one of the caverns that had some touristic locations. However, one of the caves was left abandoned and forbid any trespassers to enter. However, Himuro used this place for himself and he brought Kagami over.

Kagami thanked for the food and eat with big bites.

"You know that food won't go anywhere," said Himuro.

"Oh…I um…well back in my previous adoption…if you don't act quick, the food would be gone," replied Kagami.

"Where was this at?" he asked.

"Sky Dunes," said Kagami, "I was in a few locations for adoption here."

"You know, there's a rumor of a large city far out to the south," said Himuro, "Like it is said to be a growing paradise sometime in the future. I'm thinking of moving there. What about you?"

"Y-you mean, we both…?" asked Kagami.

"Of course," he smiled, "We'll have our own lives. But I must ask you, did you ran away from your family or…?"

"Kinda a long story," said Kagami, "There was this child…who got adopted to this perfect couple…he was a few years younger than me. It was that moment, I finally realized…that I'm too old to be adopted. No one was going to love me or even notice me."

"I see," muttered Himuro.

"How about you? Were you running away too?" asked Kagami.

"Yeah, I was…I had a family but…they…they were quite neglecting me and it's like as if…I am being invisible," said Himuro, "It kinda sucks…so I took their money and the card and left."

Himuro looked at him and smiled, "Look, we are a team now. Besides, I've heard you were said to like basketball right?"

"H-how did you…?" blushed Kagami.

"If you want, I can help you refine those skills and get better at them," he said.

"What do I need to do in return?" asked Kagami.

"No worries, you being here is good enough for me," smiled Himuro, "Come on, we'd be better off sticking together."

Kagami smiled as the two stared out to the background.

* * *

**Present Day: Underground Prison**

Makoto woke up and saw himself locked in chains inside a cell. The last thing he remembered was protecting Alexa as well as the recovery of memories. A teardrop rolled from his cheek before he heard a voice saying, "So you've awakened now?"

He turned to see a girl with bright orange hair that was somewhat spiky and wild looking. Her outfit was sort of a fancy dress with metallic colors.

"W-who are you?" he asked.

"…call me Natsu," she answered, "I've sensed great power in you…are you one of them?"

"Of who?" asked Makoto.

"…the Suiei Gods," she whispered.

"W-what makes you think you know that?" he replied.

"My brother learned a lot of things thanks to Chernobyl," she answered, "Ever since he made allies with this ghostly figure, he seems to know everyone and everything at any given time."

"How can I get out of here?" asked Makoto, "I need to find the others!"

"…there is one way out of those chains but it's rather painful," she said, "Besides I can't help you. If I get caught, even though I may be blood…onii-chan will not hesitate to kill."

Makoto grunted and lied back down, praying for Alexa and the others to be alright at least. This was already discouraging but he cannot give up hope.

_Now that Alexa has awakened_ , thought Makoto, _maybe he might be able to save himself…but who is this Chernobyl?_

**~Episode 1 END~**

* * *

**~Episode 2 PV~**

**Alexa** : We have to find Makoto! Where could they have taken him to?! IS HE EVEN ALIVE!?

**Rei** : We'll find him Alexa, just hang in there!

**Nagisa** : We will!

**Rin** : But I think we need some answers first…like why exactly they were exiled from Sportsbrooke?

**Haruka** : There could be some innocent lives?

**Nagisa** : Babies and children for sure! They deserve the second chance!

**Akashi** : I must keep this city safe at all costs, that's my duty!

**Makoto** : Next Time, **_Free! The Sands of Olympus!_** _What new dangers lie out in the desert?_


	3. Chapter 3

**_Episode 2:_ ** **_オリンパスのサンズ！_ ** **_The Sands of Olympus!_ **

_~Warning: A bit of RinHaru in this Episode~_

* * *

Daigo Matsuoka returned to the city with Katsunori as they were instructed by the Princess Goddess/Kuroko. Once they arrived to the Temple of Time, they found Kuroko holding a scroll.

"I need you to run a favor," he said, "There's a…person in this town that can provide us some transportation."

"And what about you?" asked Daigo, "Can't you do it yourself?"

"I've been praying and using my phantom magic to restore the shield and the process has not been easy," he answered, "The Magic Six along with Kagami and Midorima are going for a ride to the western reaches of this planet."

"And who is this person to be exact?" asked Katsunori.

"His name…well…he goes by the "Great Blacksmith" or "Wise Master"," said Kuroko, "I have already sent payment but I need you to confirm the order. The address is on the scroll along with a map."

* * *

**Golden Creation Shop**

The "Wise Master" slammed his hammer down as he was finishing up another sword. He looked at it with satisfaction though he noticed a small hairline crack. Narrowing his eyes, he carefully melded the crack with the hot iron before it finally sealed.

This would've been easier if only I had my…mask, he thought.

He heard the bells of the door opening as the two men arrived in the shop. He walked out to the front and saw the men at the front desk.

"Good day to you," said the Wise Master, "How can I help you?"

"This order from the Princess Goddess," replied Katsunori, "We are here to confirm it."

"Ah yes…I am fortunate to have the vehicles here…however, I did not make this by hand," he said.

"W-WHAT?!" the two gasped.

"Well they were given to me more like gifts. I only used my ability to create a shed for them until they were needed," shrugged the Wise Master, "But if I was back in my youth, I would've created more vehicles than anyone could imagine."

He led the two gentlemen to the shed where he threw a lever to open the garage. Seconds later, the lights flickered as three vehicles rested peacefully;

*A large red, lengthy aircraft with Tri Cyclone Stingers with laser and field capacitors: Axalara T9.

*A blue, wide vehicle with mega rockets to the side: Jetrax T6.

*A smaller, green vehicle with a large blasting cannon and a set of aircraft wings: Rockoh T3.

"Such vehicles," said a stunned Daigo, "Are they really…?"

"The previous owner of these vehicles told me how useful they were in their lands," explained the Wise Master, "After an agreement was made; I was given these vehicles for safekeeping. But they are gifts to those who need them."

"Alrighty then, I guess we'll let Kuroko know that they're ready," said Katsunori, "Thank you."

* * *

**Miracle Palace**

Rin rinsed the dust and sand off of his body as he closed his eyes to think about a lot of things. He wished he could have his mother's spirit helping him on this journey. Now that Makoto (the team leader) was captured, he was given the role as deputy by Gaardus.

He felt hands hugging around him.

"Oi!" he said.

"Rin!" replied Haruka.

"Oh…" answered Rin, "Haru…I thought you already washed up?"

"Yeah but…something's been bothering me, Rei and Nagisa…why are you and Makoto distant?" asked Haruka.

"What are you saying?" asked Rin, turning to him.

Their bodies touched each other in warmth from the shower as they were about to kiss and have some fun. However, Haru was not quite in the mood for it.

"Rin…" said Haruka, "What is it between you and him?"

"W-what?!" he gasped, "It's nothing what you think it is! I love you Haru…"

"I know you do," he answered, "But…what is it that's holding both of you back?"

Rin gently caressed Haru's back but was feeling a bit sick to the stomach about this. Clearly, this was a secret between him and Makoto that they've hidden from the others for years. However, Makoto was warned by Gaardus that time is running out for Alexa's life.

He sighed and answered, "…it's a terrible secret Haru…one of which Makoto has sworn me to keep silent. If I tell you…"

"You've always said we are a team," said Haruka, "Please. We can work things out like we always do. I know it's going to hurt Makoto if he knows that we know but...we can't stay in the dark like this."

Rin took a deep breath as he hugged him closer saying, "Do you remember the purification rite we did as kids?"

"Yeah?"

"…something happened on the final night…but you guys don't remember it," he replied, "To spare the pain, our parents took the memories of that night."

"But if we don't remember…how did you?" began Haru.

"…I don't know," said Rin.

"What exactly happened?" asked Haruka.

"…we were attacked by the Dark One," he replied, "But his prize was Alexa…seeing that he carries the essence of Julius…it's all starting to come together. Anyway, Makoto tried to protect him but we were under a sacred rule that we cannot hold each other or touch our hands. He hesitated…and Alexa was cursed."

"Cursed?" he gasped.

"Because of his hesitation… _ **Alexa is on doomsday of his death on the sunset of his 21st birthday**_ ," said Rin.

Haruka stepped out from the shower as Rin cried out, "OI! HARU?!"

"How could you keep this from us?!" he began.

"Do you think I was happy to hold this secret?!" said Rin, "It was Makoto's wish to keep it alone!"

He grabbed Haru's hand and continued, "Please…have mercy, what was I going to do?"

"We traveled to other realms…and Makoto…this whole time?" began Haruka, "He wasn't acting like how he normally was..."

"Makoto was doing research when we arrived in the other realms…well not the Shadow Earth but the other places he did…and he still has no means to remove the mark. He's been doing his hardest to save him!" said Rin.

"And here in this world?" asked Haruka.

"Still no clues," sighed Rin, "Please Haru! You mustn't say anything to Rei or Nagisa!"

Haruka sighed for a moment, wondering how he was going to react to this. Clearly their lives depended on each other and now…

"Why are you going back on your word?" asked Haruka, narrowing his eyes, "You're the one that always said _'For the Team'_! And here you are now!"

"HARU!" shouted Rin, growling with a hint of sadness and rage, "Did you honestly think I wanted to HOLD HIS SECRET ALL THESE YEARS!?"

"You certainly kept it quiet which was totally not you," he answered, "And here I thought I was the more silent type."

"Makoto…CONSTANTLY checked in with me. He swore to keep this confided between us…," he said, "He knew that none of our magic was going to save him."

"You have to tell the others," replied Haruka, "You're not doing what is right…I-I'm sorry."

Rin breathed heavily for a moment to relax as he could feel his heartbeat in his chest. He and Haru were still wet and naked from the shower as it was a bit slightly awkward (yet appealing) for each other. Rin hugged him and spilled a silent tear whispering, "Alright. We'll tell them. _But please…stay with me? I need you."_

He nodded and the two returned back in to finish washing up as they both caressed each other, moaning their passion out.

"H-Haru…" moaned Rin as he thrusted in and out of his partner.

The dark haired turned to kiss him as their passion ignited a warmth of love and hope into their bodies. Rin managed to lift him up and held him by the bottom cheeks as the two were climaxing themselves of their mating dose.

"You have to keep that promise," said Haruka, "Otherwise, _**it's over**_."

* * *

"When will Haru-chan and Rin-chan be done?" asked Nagisa, yawning while Rei and Gaardus were investigating Makoto's whereabouts.

"At a time like this," sighed Rei as he could only predict what they were doing.

"I'm sure they're fine," smiled Alexa though he was deeply worried for Makoto. However, in times like this, he had to not let fear take into him.

_I know he's alive_ , thought Alexa, _and we'll find him back! We have each other…and that's all what matters!_

"Yoooo!" shouted a familiar voice.

"Ki-chan!" smiled Nagisa as he saw Kise, Aomine, and Murasakibara.

"Nagisacchi!" giggled Kise as the two blonds chuckled happily.

"We were told by Katsunori and Daigo about the vehicles," said Murasakibara.

"They are going to be yours," added Aomine, "You have to see them! They're like huge! Even the smaller vehicle is like a battle machine!"

Gaardus chirped as he finally found Karasuno City on the hologram globe of Olympia, "Found it!"

The Phoenix absorbed the data into his beak before swallowing. Finally, after several failed attempts, he now knew the general location of where Makoto was at.

"Great!" smiled Rei before turning to the others, "And what vehicles are they exactly? Battle Machines?"

"They're said to be of aircraft," replied Murasakibara, "Kuroko wants you guys there to see it."

"Well Haruka-senpai and Rin-senpai are somewhere else at the moment…" shrugged Rei.

"No worries; let's just get you guys ready," said Kise, "Reiichi, Nagisachhi, Alexacchi!"

"But what about…?" began Rei.

"We're here!" shouted a voice.

The gang turned to see Rin and Haruka as the two arrived to team up with the others. Nagisa could smell the soap and something delicious that the two were doing earlier but he gently chuckled to himself in order to find some playtime with Rei later.

"Has Gaardus located Makoto?" asked Rin.

"Yes," said Alexa, "They're far away though from here."

"Well Gaardus could use his magic to get us there, right?" asked Haruka.

"That…may be risky," replied the Phoenix, "If I use my transport powers, they're likely to track us down. No, we have to use something else."

"That's when Ki-chan and Mura-chan told us about the vehicles!" smiled the blond.

"Vehicles?" asked Rin.

"That's right," said Kise, "They're fast moving ones too but it'll take a few hours to get to the destination."

"Yeah, it's not safe to walk 3000 miles through the desert," chuckled Aomine.

"EHHHH!?" gasped Haruka and Rin.

"You've got to be kidding!" snarled Rin, "HE'S THAT FAR AWAY!?"

* * *

The Magic Six and VS grouped up together just outside the Miracle Palace where the three vehicles were parked at. Nagisa wanted to meet the one who crafted them but was told that they were sent from another realm which further his curiosity.

"We don't have time to travel through time-space," sighed Rei.

"We'll find him," said Haruka, "I know we will."

Alexa smiled and turned to the VS. Kuroko turned to Kagami and Midorima with a nod.

"We are granted permission to travel with you gentlemen," said Kagami.

"Please give us the honor to be of some help," agreed Midorima, "Especially after what I have done. I owe it to you guys."

"They will be driving two of the vehicles," explained Akashi.

"I wanna drive!" whined Nagisa, "They look so badass!"

"We don't have time to play games!" said Rei.

"Rei-channnnn!" moaned the blond.

"I'll drive one," said Rin, "I'll take the blue-silver guy."

"I guess I'll take the big one," replied Midorima.

"Ugh, seriously?" asked Kagami, staring at the Rockoh T3.

"Well that one does drive the fastest," replied Kuroko, "I know how you are with speed."

"Heh, we'll see about that," he smirked as he hugged him.

"But what I don't understand is," said Rei, "How can these guys drive if they…?"

"The vehicles adapt to their senses to the surroundings. They'll be able to maneuver and use the weapons on there easily," explained Kuroko.

"Weapons?" asked Nagisa.

"There's these strange guns that fire spheres of light," said Akashi, "You might want to wear glasses or something to cover your eyes."

"But how are we all going to fit on there? The Vehicles?" asked Alexa, "The seating isn't much room."

Gaardus squeaked and flapped its wings, granting the MS a new set of armor and rockets built onto their suits. They were stunned at the new styles even though they didn't summon their animal powers.

"These suits will keep you attached to the vehicle. But you can also fly with them around," explained the bird.

"Awww yeaah!" cheered Nagisa.

Once the team made their farewells, Rin, Kagami, and Midorima sat in the cockpits of the Jetrax T6, Rockoh T3 and Axalara T9 respectively, turning on the engines. Rei and Nagisa linked to the large red vehicle while Alexa and Haru linked to the Jetrax. Kagami sat solo on the Rockoh T3 and said, "I got the map to where we have to go. Follow me!"

The vehicles soared off into the skies as they saw the megacity from the background. The others waved a goodbye as they hoped to figure out what was going on with the exiles.

"Sounds like they'll be alright?" asked Momoi.

"Yes," nodded Kuroko.

"Where are they going exactly?" asked Riko.

"…somewhere far from here," said Aomine, "A bit of a dangerous area but it's something that we have to be concerned as a team and leaders."

"I've heard what happened the other day….is it true?" asked Momoi.

"Yes…the prince has awakened…their identities from the past have returned," he nodded.

"What exactly are they going to do out there?" asked Riko.

"For one they have to get Makoto back safely…but I am worried that this is only the beginning of another war," said Kuroko.

* * *

**Miyagi Palace, Karasuno City**

"Master, they are on their way," said Akira Kunimi.

"It's no surprise they'll try to breach this place," replied Shouyou, "We did capture one of their men so they'll take their courage to this wasteland."

The orange-haired turned to the darkness and said, "Have you located where they are at?"

"Yes…" hissed the dark voice, "Chernobyl is here. I have sensed that power too from afar…that stone brings us misfortune…seize that crystal as soon as possible."

"Of course, but we'll also destroy it," chuckled Shouyou, raising his glass up, saying, "To restart our new lives once more!"

"My lord," said Tobio, "I have prepared traps along the way. Let me do this job."

Tobio snapped his fingers as two gentlemen walked into the room; one of them was tall with a Mohawk of yellow hair while the other was shorter with mostly blonde but had some dark shades of brown.

"We will be of great assistance," said the smaller man.

"And we will not lose," agreed the taller man.

"Very well then, gentlemen," replied Shouyou, "Go bring forth the crystal and capture anyone who dares to stand in our way!"

* * *

**Flashback: Aqua Duniya – The Purification Rite, Day 6**

After another days of ritual was over, the Magic Six dried themselves up and got their night cloaks on. However, thanks to Rei's suggestion the night before, they all decided to go upstairs to the observatory deck where a great telescope was fixed and had a table of all the stars and the constellations mapped out.

The six children made their way finally as Rin and Makoto opened the massive doors. A gentle breeze swept in between them as they could see far beyond the horizon of the seas.

"WOOOOWWW!" cried Nagisa happily.

"Amazing!" agreed Rin, feeling the sight.

"This is so beautiful!" smiled Rei.

"We're really high up, aren't we?" asked Makoto, trying hard to not feel too nervous.

Haruka wanted to fly with his water magic but their powers weren't ready yet till after tomorrow evening. Alexa smiled happily and said, "Thank you guys! I'm so glad we can see this sight!"

"The kingdom looks so tiny from up here," said Nagisa, "But yet it's huge!"

Haruka's eyes were more fixed on the waters that surrounded the entire planet (or at least that they know of) but he turned to the others with a small smile.

"Haru-chan! You love it, don't you?!" asked the blond.

"And none of you can't stop the –chan?" he replied.

Makoto turned to Alexa wanted to hold his hand but couldn't, knowing that they're still in the rite. Alexa smiled.

"Don't worry about it," said Alexa, "We'll all get to hold hands again! RIGHT!?"

"Yeah!" replied Rin, "We can run around and play other fun games in the meadows and splash free!"

Rei went up to the telescope to see if he could try to make use of it. His parents often times would come up here to observe the skies and write down notes of what they saw.

"I wonder…if we'll ever get to see our planet from up there," said Nagisa, "I want to see our lovely blue world!"

"That's if we can fly up there without suffocating the lack of air," shrugged Rei, "I don't think this place will have the technology that we need."

Haruka turned around when he saw Alexa floating up in midair.

"A-Alexa?" asked Makoto, eyes widened.

"EHHH!?" gasped Nagisa as Rin and Rei turned to see the final star floating up.

Alexa's eyes were locked in a trance as he could hear a soft sound of dripping water followed by a low gong noise.

"I-I hear something…" he muttered, "W-water?"

Makoto tried to reach out to Alexa but stopped, his worries intensified by the moment.

"T-The…w-wate-water…t-the pool?" muttered the high prince.

Suddenly, a bang of noises with scary images filled in Alexa's mind; he saw a strange pair of black wings with a facial skull staring at him. The image transformed into the purification room dripping water and blood mixing in. Then, it transformed into Makoto screaming through the water reaching his hand out.

"MAKOTOOOOOOO!" screamed Alexa.

"ALEXAAA!" shouted Makoto as Alexa collapsed on the floor and crept into a fetal position, shaking with fear as the darkness could be felt through his vains.

"ALEX!" shouted Rei.

"ALEX-CHANN!" cried Nagisa.

Makoto approached to Alexa as the latter said quietly, "N-no…i-it's not sss-safe…d-don't…c-come…"

Seconds later, the door slammed open as King Daisuke and King Magnus arrived to hear the commotion.

"WHAT HAPPEN!?" cried Daisuke.

"Alexa!" gasped Magnus, trying to reach out to him but realized that he too cannot touch him.

"He was saying about water…and to not come…near…it's not safe," said Makoto.

"Alexa tends to act this way when some dreams he receives are not as pleasant," said the king.

"But he also screamed out my name and…" began Makoto.

Magnus took out his staff and tried to use some sort of magic to diagnose this. Nothing much came to his mind at first until he saw the horror images that was sent to Alexa's mind.

"W-what's the matter…" gasped Daisuke.

"Father?" asked Rei.

Magnus turned to Daisuke and said quietly, "It is as it was foretold…the darkness is already here. And it's waiting for tomorrow…"

"Your majesty, is there something we can do?" asked Nagisa.

"As a father, I ought to stay by Alexa's side," said Magnus, "But…because of the strict rules in the purification, I am unable to do so. That's why I entrust all of you boys…to protect him, at all costs."

"P-protect him?" asked Rin, "What did you see?"

"Something terrible is coming…and we cannot prevent it from happening. But as long as you five are by his side…you will all prevail anything that harms you," he explained.

"But what about our powers?" asked Haruka, "Why can't they…?"

"It's a very tough procedure," said Daisuke, "I know you are all very worried but as you know…your existence to Alexa…is vital. You're all becoming a team now. And you'll grow even more when you begin your swimming lessons."

"Hopefully nothing will go wrong tomorrow," agreed Magnus, "However, Idaina has not received the final words of the prayer for tomorrow until she enters to the dreams."

"I swear, I will protect him," said Makoto, "Right you guys?!"

"Yeah!" they all replied back.

"For the team! Forever!" agreed Rin.

Magnus smiled and said, "Please take care of Alexa…"

* * *

**Present Time: Olympus Desert, Planet Olympia**

The gang drove out west as they traversed through the harsh dunes and some of the rocky areas. The blazing hot skies shined on them with endless sweat across their faces. Thankfully, the drivers had some of the AC turned on but those that were clinging onto the vehicle were like dying of the excessive heat.

Finally, the gang stopped to see an oasis that had several palm trees, grasses, and even a nice sized pond of water. Once the vehicles slowed down, Haruka jumped off and stripped off to his swimsuit form while the others protested him to wait.

"To be honest, I don't blame him," said Alexa as he too ran off and did the same thing.

The others joined in as well while Kagami and Midorima sat beneath the trees to cool off a little.

"I'm so glad we're adding pools to the city," said Kagami, "Otherwise, these guys would've been arrested or killed."

"Me too," agreed Midorima, "I can't believe that the desert is totally scorched."

"And how is your training going?" asked Kagami, "Your water?"

"Oh that…" he blushed a little, "Meh, I won't be as good as they are but…I do hope to be of some help."

"Maybe they can train you on swimming also," he smiled, "I'd probably give it a try."

Midorima laughed and said, "Just don't be sinking like a rock when you eat all that food!"

"Shut up!" he replied, laughing.

Nagisa splashed behind Rei while Haruka floated on his back before doing another round of freestyle. Rin smiled happily with another splash at Alexa and Nagisa as they were enjoying the waters.

"I'm soooo glad we found this!" said Nagisa.

"Yeah, but it doesn't feel complete though…" said Rei.

"Right," replied the blonde sadly.

Rin practiced on his butterfly before switching to freestyle, catching up to Haruka. Alexa on the other hand, felt also a bit sad since Makoto was not there to be by his side.

"Alex-chan?" asked Nagisa.

"Are you alright?" asked Rei.

"…I'll be fine," he sniffed, trying hard to not cry.

"You got us!" said the blond as he and Rei hugged him. Rin and Haruka turned to see what was happening and they joined up too.

"Mako-chan…I wished he was here!" cried Alexa.

"We'll find him," said Rin, "Don't give yourself up!"

Alexa nodded and the five made a nice group hug. Kagami and Midorima watched the gang as they could sense how strong they were as a team and how close they were in their emotions.

"I wish the same was said for us," said Midorima, "I mean…we're close too but…something about them…"

"Is different, right?" asked Kagami.

"Sort of…" he shrugged, "It's like as if the water is loving and peaceful…not harsh and deadly as we all feared it to be."

"Do you actually trust them?" asked the megane.

"…at first I didn't…but now…I think they'll be just fine," said Kagami, "If they really want to establish peace in this world, they might be able to make it work."

Midorima looked at Alexa as the latter was indeed, the reincarnation of Julius. He closed his eyes and wondered if his father ever interacted with him back when the world was still beautiful.

_More so_ , thought Midorima, _Alexa has the Solar Crystal of Destiny. He has to be very careful with it now that its power is awakening._

The swimmers finally dried themselves up as Gaardus soared down from the tree and squeaked, "It's about to sunset soon, we should take this oasis for the night."

"We don't have any tent materials though…" began Kagami.

Gaardus flapped its wings and unleashed waves of light, creating a set of tents and a campfire set.

"YEAH! We haven't used these in a while!" said Nagisa.

"Ah, just like how we did back in Phoenix," chuckled Rin.

"That bird must be very, very handy," muttered Midorima as he and Kagami were a bit stunned.

The sun continued to set down as the remaining swimmers used their water powers to create a protection barrier around the oasis while Kagami and Midorima roasted some marshmallows.

"We leave at dawn," said Kagami, "You guys got that?"

"Right!" replied Nagisa as he munched on his s'mores.

Haruka placed his feet in the water to cool off while eating his s'mores with Rin. Nagisa was already competing Kagami again in an eating contest as Rei facepalmed.

Alexa was about to say something when they all heard a loud explosion noise from the distance. Gaardus squeaked and said, "Get into your Senshi!"

"A-already someone's out there?!" asked Rin.

Gaardus scanned through the dark areas when he recognized the same presence from the Black Crows.

"It's them! THE BLACK CROWS!" shouted Gaardus as two men broke through the shield.

"I got them this time!" growled Rin as he raised his Shark Star Dagger Wand and cried, " ** _SHARK STAR POWERRRRR, MAAAAKKEEEE UP!"_**

His Shark Star Dagger Wand flickered and glowed a series of red lights as his body became transparent into the background of his transformation sequence. He grabbed the dagger (with his nails turning red) and danced his way through the lights of fire as he could feel the heat of the competition waving through his system.

Rin twirled as his red turban with loose flaps that contained blue-yellow stripes appeared on his head. His cloak was black and red with a white vest undergarment beneath. Raising his hands up, he donned a pair of golden cuffs and his malia bee pendant mixed with his Suiei Necklace.

At the same moment the waters swirled around his lower half before revealing his white lose pants with a buckle that donned his Metallic Shark Sword in a green sheath. He opened his eyes with a smirk on his face as a pair of black shoes covered his feet.

He could feel the fusion of a warrior and a competitive swimmer as one entity ready to take on anything. He crossed his arms together in his badass pose at an angle with a wider smirk by showing his shark teeth.

The invaders removed their cloaks to reveal themselves; Kenma Kozume and Yuu Nishionya.

"So it seems we meet again, Suiei Gods," said Kenma, "How pathetic…one lost soldier in our hands…who is next?"

**_"For swimming and happiness, I am the Suiei God of Medley and Unity, Suiei Matsuoka! For the team and for the future, your time is up!"_** replied Rin, readying his sword.

"One lonely solider eh?" asked Yuu, "I was hoping the entire team will try us."

"For what?!" shouted Rei, "You guys took Makoto and hurt Alexa's relationship! I certainly won't forgive you guys that easily!"

The megane took out his Butterfly Star Dagger Wand and cried out, **_"BUTTERFLY STAR POWERRRRR, MAAAAAKEEE UP!"_**

The Butterfly Star Dagger grew out its wings before it unleashed several butterflies soaring around with him. The megane grabbed the dagger (with his nails turning purple) and made a cart wheel flip as his transparent body donned his purple-white vest.

Waving out his hands in the butterfly stroke motion, he donned the black sleeves and the golden cuffs on his elbows. The butterflies fused together to form his red turban with the white feather on top before it gently was placed on his head.

He spun around as his red glasses transformed into sliver frames as his lower half of the body morphed out a white pair of loose pants and black shoes. The sash finally formed in multi colors of black, red, and purple where he had his Butterfly Long Riffle attached to his back.

The sash on his waist formed with multiple colors of red, black and purple where his butterfly long riffle was attached on his back. He opened his eyes and readied on his weapon with a badass narrowed expression as if he was ready to fire.

**_"For swimming and theories, I am the Suiei God of Butterfly and Beauty, Suiei Ryugazaki!"_** said Rei, **_"In the name of all beauty, I shall chastise you!"_**

"Sexy butterfly, get the two-toned hair on the right," replied Rin, "I'll deal with the short-ass punk on the left."

"OI!" growled Kenma, his eyes narrowing at Rin, "You will regret what you said there jawbreaker!"

"Like hell I care!" said Rin, preparing his attack, "MEDLEEEEYYYY FLIPPING BLASSSSTTT!"

"BUTTERFLLLLYYYYY HURRIIIIIICANE!" shouted Rei, unleashing a storm of butterflies.

Kenma and Yuu prepared their replied attacks with the Chernobyl Guns as they unleashed streams of radioactive waves, vaporizing the water.

"WATCH OUT!" shouted Nagisa as Rin and Rei nearly dodged the radioactive blasts.

When the steam cleared away the men were nowhere to be seen.

"SHIT!" growled Rin, "Where are they!?"

"Over here!" whispered a voice.

Rin turned to see Kenma blowing him a punch from behind. Nagisa, Rei, and Alexa gasped as the two men had a pair of black wings that looked like a crow's but it was massive in size.

"T-they can fly!?" shouted Rei as he nearly dodged an attack from Yuu.

"Of course we can!" replied Yuu, "Our king has given us the powers from the Chernobyl Crystal. It comes quite in handy when you don't need the technology to travel."

Rei fired his riffle but missed several of his shots. The two men were clearly fast with their flight. Kagami had enough of waiting so he jumped into the fight.

"OI! You STAY OUT!" shouted Yuu, "Basketball trash!"

"Like you guys are any better!" shouted Kagami, readying his hands of light magic.

"Oh? Gonna try to flash us out?" laughed Kenma, "Thinking that you as the "Savior" will do all what he can?"

"SHUT UP!" growled Kagami.

"Oh come on Savoir," laughed Yuu, "It's obvious that heroes like you don't kill!"

Kagami unleashed blasts of light to repel them but the two were already flying again through the darkness. Rei and Rin stood back to back readying for another attacks when an explosion from the Chernobyl crystal blasted them backwards.

"REI-CHAN!" screamed Nagisa, his eyes flickering in neon pink.

"RINNN!" cried Haruka, taking out his Dolphin Star Dagger Wand.

Alexa growled as he knew that these two guys were after something…and it had to be his power. He took out his Dragon Crystal Brooch and shouted, **_"DRAGON CRYSTAL POWERRRRRR, MAAAAAKKKEEEE UP!"_**

Yuu and Kenma turned to see the bright explosion of light as Alexa underwent his transformation.

The Dragon Brooch floated above him as the background turned golden orange-yellow with glowing stars drifting around. His nails glowed yellow while a pair of wings grew from the brooch before it exploded into lights. Dragon scales grew from feet to the neck before it exploded out in his transparent form.

Raising his arms up, armor pads covered the upper limbs while the dragon scales formed over his chest, abs. They shed off, revealing his plates similar to his previous outfit in Solis Power. However, the design was slightly more ornate and ancient looking.

The same golden-yellow majestic cape grew from the armor and the white loose pants with armor boots with new decorated dragon designs on. The Suiei necklace was also "changed" but still kept the same heart shaped locket. His sword returned to his buckle inside the sheath.

Lastly, his helmet with a scarf covering from behind appeared, looking more like a prince than a warrior.

He spun around with his Dragon Kopis Sword at the ready, opening his eyes to see the source of his prey.

"YOU WON'T GET AWAY WITH THIS FIGHT!" shouted Alexa, introducing himself, **_"For swimming and fortune, I am the Suiei God of Destiny and Understanding, Suiei Marotta! Tamper destiny the wrong way…and I'll punish you!"_**

"Ah so the rumors are true…your majesty," smirked Yuu, "Prince Julius stands before us…"

"Leave now while you still are whole," replied Alexa, "We want nothing to do with you!"

"Oh but you're coming to rescue your loved one, isn't it?" asked Kenma, "I see it in your eyes…your beloved Antonius is with us now."

"I'm not that stupid," he said.

"Let's make a deal…" replied Yuu, "Give us the Legendary Solar Crystal…and this fight will be over."

"Like I'll fall for that," growled Alexa as he raised his sword up, **_"SUIEI CLEANSINGGGG...HALAAAATIIIIOONNNNN!"_**

The two men tried to fight back with the Chernobyl crystals but the fast oncoming light burned them out of their existence as they screamed. The others gasped at the intensity of the power unleashed before it finally faded away.

"Congratulations…" said a voice.

The gang turned to see another man standing before them as he had Rin and Rei captured with his dark magic. His hair was almost like Haru's but his smile was very scary that something even the swimmer would never do.

"NO!" shouted Alexa, "RIN! REI!"

"Heheh…you defeated Yuu and Kenma but…thanks to the usage of their radioactive powers, they managed to knock these two gentlemen out," said Tobio Kageyama, "The powers of the Chernobyl Crystal have its own unique effects to those who are victims of it."

"GIVE US BACK REI-CHAN AND RIN-CHAN!" shouted Nagisa as he unleashed a blast of water from the dagger but Tobio blocked it.

The dark-haired man smirked before it vanished with Rin and Rei as everyone gasped in horror.

"REEEIIIII-CHANNNNNN!" cried Nagisa as Haru's face silently spilled a tear at the sight. Now the two were in the hands of their prey.

* * *

**Government Tower, Sportsbrooke**

Akashi sat down at his desk the next morning, looking over several documents and photos from the last few years. He remembered all too well when Shouyou and a bunch of others still lived here in the town like normal civilians.

After he and the others finished their high school, the Generation of Miracles went their separate ways for a bit of time but were sure to keep in touch with each other. Thanks to the reputation in his family, Akashi was able to rise in power and become a candidate for the city's prime minister. However, there was a problem; Shouyou Hinata.

_His family was also from an ancient legend_ , thought Akashi, _the Small Giant…master of volleyball but was rumored to have killed Prince Julius back in the Silver War._

He summoned his emperor eye and called for one of his personal servants in, saying, "I need you to investigate the Old Zone. There's something that must be found."

"And what is it do you seek?" asked the servant.

"Information," said Akashi, "I'll give you the specific orders when you get there, GO!"

* * *

**The Temple of Time**

Kuroko gasped as his mind drew back into reality from the visions he saw from last night; Rei and Rin were captured by the Black Crows while they were traveling to Karasuno City.

"What exactly do they want?" he muttered, clasping his hands in prayer, "Revenge? Carnage? Treasures?"

He recalled when Shouyou demanded to Alexa about handing over the Solar Crystal of Destiny. However, something weird happened during Alexa's wakening as Julius; the light from the crystal was transported to Makoto's body shortly before he was taken hostage.

Kuroko got up on his feet and left the chamber when he saw Akashi standing at the doorway.

"Anything new?" he asked.

"Rei and Rin were captured," said Kuroko, "That makes 3."

"That's lovely," sighed Akashi sarcastically, "What makes them think they're going to set on destroying us?"

"…did you do something to them?" asked Kuroko.

"I banished them from the city when they were going to threaten the civilians!" he answered, "But how could that make them so blood thirsty?"

"Don't lie to me…" said Kuroko.

"Why should I lie if I am absolute?" asked Akashi.

"I may have a quasi-emperor eye but that power allows me to detect memories and hidden truths from the past," he replied.

Akashi lowered his head and said more quietly, "You better keep that a secret."

"The city depends on you being a leader…not a destroyer!" growled Kuroko, "After they were banished, you ordered their homes to be burned to the ground and destroying all things that were volleyball! The nets, the jerseys, the ball, everything!"

"I just didn't want it to have a bad name," he said.

"Those who weren't banished have been starting to protest as of late. Some of them even befriended the Magic Six," answered the light blue haired boy.

"Kurokocchi! Akschicchi!" shouted Kise as he and Aomine arrived in the scene.

"And what are you two doing here?" asked Akashi.

"We just got word of another protest happening by the Princess Goddess statue. Kurokocchi, they need some hope and prayers answered," said the blond.

"Go now before they start to go all crazy," said the red-haired, "I'll deal with this."

* * *

**Olympus Desert, about 1600 miles West of Sportsbrooke**

Alexa, Haruka, Nagisa, Kagami and Midorima soared their way through the desert on the vehicles. Nagisa wanted to pilot the Jetrax T6 but Midorima suggested Alexa to be the driver. The trio managed to start up the vehicles and continued their journey to the west.

It was clearly another hot day and with no one in sight. Rin and Rei were captured by the same people who were deemed as "The Black Crows".

Gaardus flew high above and volunteered to map out their direction in order to get to the city more smoothly and effectively. Alexa could only pray for Makoto, Rin, and Rei's safety. The Solar Crystal of Destiny was kept safe inside of his brooch after Gaardus handed it over to him earlier in the morning.

"Alexa," muttered Gaardus, "You must keep the crystal on you at all costs. That power…if fallen to the wrong hands, it becomes a frightening nightmare of destruction."

The three vehicles continued to soar onward to the west as the sun high above shined its heat upon the endless sands of desert.

**~Episode 2 END~**

* * *

**~Episode 3 PV~**

**Alexa** : We're almost there! We'll be able to fight again!

**Nagisa** : Rei-chan! Mako-chan! Rin-chan!

**Kagami** : He does say a lot of –chan, doesn't he?

**Nagisa** : Haru-chan! Tai-chan!

**Haruka** : You can't stop the –chan?

**Narrator** : At long last…one awaited character from _VOYAGE OF THE MAGIC SIX_ …returns! But this time…her role has switched…

**Familiar Voice** : I'm finally back! Well, I've been back actually but you haven't seen my secret yet!

**Haruka:** Next time, Free! **_Capital of the Black Crows!,_** _we're going to need a lot of answers here if we are to save the others!_


	4. Chapter 4

**_Episode 3:_** ** _黒カラスの首都_** ** _!_** **_Capital of the Black Crows!_**

**About 2700 miles West of Sportsbrooke: The Rock Eater Falls**

Nagisa yawned as he and he others camped out again with their limited supplies from Gaardus. The blond was feeling terribly lonely without Rei just as the others were missing their loved ones.

"I can't believe those people," said Alexa, "Since when did volleyball and basketball became enemies? I don't understand…"

"Your mind is still going through a lot of flashbacks," replied Midorima, "All of you have forgotten that we were all enemies to each other long ago."

"But what made us fight among each other like this?" asked Haruka, "We don't know who or what has made all this mess."

"I have a possible theory behind that," said the green-haired megane, "Especially after I was infected by that darkness. I think it has to do with the Dark One…but this "Dark One" is not visibly here in this world."

"Sounds like he's manipulating behind the scenes," replied the blond, "As soon as we find him, we'll defeat it!"

"That'd be nice," agreed Kagami, "That sonofabitch is trying to ruin everyone's lives."

Gaardus kept silent in this conversation but preened on its feathers. The bird was already feeling something about this.

_I know what they are after_ , thought the bird, _but destroying darkness…is impossible…right…sister?_

* * *

As soon as they all went to their tents, Gaardus turned its head up to the moon as his body shimmered and transformed. The blue wings transformed into long, smooth arms with its beak turning into a face of a young woman with its hair in a light brown (nearly dirty blonde).

Her outfits were simply a long, white dress with a blue cloak on top it. She was happy to be back this way for now but knowing that her true powers were on probation for a long time; it was rather challenging.

She walked over to the falls and cast a simple enchantment to turn the dust into water before using the water to create a hologram between herself and another woman on the other connection.

"Sister, it's been quite a long time," she said.

"I am glad that you've been well," replied the other female, "How are they?"

"The boys have fully grown and are beginning to awaken their identities. But they still have no clue to where their true origins lies…beyond the script of this story," she answered.

"Indeed, _their existence ties to their ancestors who created them, **the ones who have fulfilled their destiny**_ ," said the second female.

"But there is a problem," said the first, "Alexa has indeed been given the Mark of Death."

"You know that cannot be changed from the script," replied the second, _"The Mark of Death is to bring us closer to the enemy and you know it. If the symbol is removed too early, we'll lose track of the shadows."_

"…I understand," answered the first, "It's just painful to see the men having to suffer through this. Rei and Nagisa have yet to even know its existence. Rin did tell Haru but the latter swore to him to tell the truth to the others as soon as possible."

"They think they know but they don't know its purpose," said the second, "But they must wait to know the truth to their destiny until the Dark One is about to make its final strike."

"I see," she replied.

"Have faith in yourself…Pandora," smiled Morgan, "You're just like who you once were…the hero…of our realm."

Pandora wanted to sniff a tear but she nodded and replied, "Thank you…for believing in me."

"You are always a part of us," said Morgan as she turned to Elaine and Morgause, "Whether you're adopted or blood. However, it doesn't change the fact that you are the daughter of Cosmos with powers so vast that it matches that of the universe."

"I am aware, but I pushed those powers to the side," she replied, "For the purpose of my punishment."

"Well then, you best be on your way," smiled Morgan as she and the sisters waved a farewell.

"We'll meet again soon…" said Pandora, "Please make sure that the others are doing well!"

The moonlight was covered by the cloud and her body morphed back into the Phoenix. He then flew back to the others and nested himself next to Alexa's tent.

_Soon it'll be your time_ , he thought.

* * *

Alexa woke up in a bright white void and saw the same man from before in his dreams. However, this time, he knew who this person was and thanks to his memories of his past life…

"It's you…the past me…" said Alexa.

Julius smiled and replied, "I am glad to finally reach to you…my future self. When our bodies were destroyed during the Silver War, I used the Solar Crystal to keep a part of my conscious floating in time-space. Thanks to that, I was able to enter to your mind and bringing you to the dreams."

"Julius, please tell me why people are after the Solar Crystal. What can it do? And why do I have to possess it?" asked Alexa.

"The Solar Crystal was created by a group of beings long before Olympia Magna was created. It has powers very ancient that it could create miracles of all kinds. However, only those of pure heart can master its magic. And since you and I are the same being in different bodies, our soul is linked to the crystal."

"What about the others? My team mates?" asked Alexa.

"If the Crystal permits them to borrow it, which it should, yes," said Julius, "In the event that something were to happen to you…the one who is your partner, is the secondary user."

"That means Mako-chan…" gasped Alexa, "But he's captured right now! The Black Crows took him away!"

Julius' face turned a bit grim and asked, "The Black Crows?"

"They were said to have been from descendants of Volleyball Players! At least that's what the Vorpal Swords have told us," he answered.

"…I see," said Julius, "The Volleyball teams were once nice and prosperous people…long before the world shattered. However, a few of them are left behind in Sportsbrooke."

"How do you know that?" asked Alexa.

"…I met someone long ago…one who was from that was from the Kingdom of Stokilos, the heart of the Karasuno region; he was a very nice man but…he led the people in the invasion of our kingdom…killing my friends," explained Julius.

"Who was this person?" asked Alexa.

"…he was known as the Small Giant," he said, "But…when he turned against us; it wasn't his normal behavior. The Dark One must have placed a portion of its conscious into him…turning him into a pawn. I know he would NEVER betray us if it was himself."

"I see," answered Alexa, "Where is this Small Giant now?"

"No idea," said Julius, "However, you must wake up soon; the sun will rise and your journey has to continue. We will talk again later."

"Thanks so much!" smiled Alexa as the vision shifted him back to reality.

* * *

**Chamber of Darkness**

Makoto woke up and realized that he was no longer in the main prison cells. He gasped at how dark this cavern was and was already freaking out a little. He saw two other bodies lying on the ground as well. Taking a look, he gasped to see Rin and Rei here with him.

"I-It can't be!" he muttered, "R-Rin?! R-Rei!?"

He shook both of them but neither of them woke up. However, they both still possessed the star dagger wands.

_We have to get out of here_ , he thought.

Makoto got up and raised his out, shouting, "ORCA STAR POWERRRR…MAAAKKEEEEEE…"

But before he could finish, a blast of electricity knocked him out again, lying between the two of them as the star dagger was barely gripped in his hands.

* * *

Shouyou sat on his throne as he received the reports from Tobio about Kenma and Yuu's death.

"Such destructive power," he smirked, "And this was done by him?"

"Yes," replied Tobio, "I have captured two more of their team mates but they're on the way here regardless."

"I want Prince Julius as a special prisoner here with me," he said, "I think a one on one will do."

Tobio remained silent as Shouyou continued, "It has been over 150,000 years since this world was left in ruins. Lucky for us, we've been able to bypass most of those years and we still cannot get a hold of that crystal. But they'll be doing the dirty work for us."

"My lord," echoed a voice.

"Ah yes…Chernobyl," said Shouyou, "I must give you credit for taking us to the future."

The darkness cloud thickened itself before it solidified into an empty body with a cloak covering around. It held a dark orb with images of the remaining Magic Six and the basketball allies making their way to the city.

"Your father was the one who tried to take Julius down, do you remember?" asked Chernobyl.

"Yes, but he was killed in the process of doing so. That is why I blame Julius on a short note," he answered, "The one who created volleyball long before basketball…Small Giant."

Tobio gasped, "N-no way! You mean…?!"

"Indeed," he smiled, getting up, "Small Giant was brought to the future and resided in Sportsbrooke. Natsu and I were his offspring and we have lived among you people, not knowing what the future would become. The city was nothing back in those days but it did grew larger and larger."

Natsu rushed into the chamber as the elder brother said, "Yes, dear sister?"

"What did you do to the prisoners?" she asked.

"Oh. Simply because I don't want you talking to them, I have put them in a darker area of the fortress. Only I can access the room in person," he replied.

Natsu gripped her fists and answered, "This isn't like you! Not like how it was back then!"

"That old me was a fool," he said, "He was a fool to trust anyone outside of the family except for his teammates that were in line. Now run along for a while. I have more plans to create."

Natsu ran off silently with a few tears in her eyes, thinking back to the days…

* * *

**Flashback: 20 Years Ago…**

Hikari Hinata carried two sleeping babies on each of his arms as he arrived in the small village of Sportsbrooke. There were several houses and a few small buildings too but it was nowhere as fancy as it was when the world was still beautiful.

Thanks to a particular person, he was able to flee the world before it was shattered into pieces and arrive many years later on the same world but in complete ruins. His wife was killed during a siege in the village after he temporally left to attack Atlantis and meet face to face with Julius.

However, the powers of the Solar Crystal blasted him and the others away from the water kingdoms and was thrown back to where he saw the siege happening in his town. He saw the babies resting in the mother's arms who died to protect them.

His silent tears didn't last when he met that person who brought him to the future. And now here he was, looking over from the canyon that led to the city of Sportsbrooke.

He looked at the babies and said, "I promise…to take care of you…Shouyou…Natsu…"

* * *

**8 years later…**

With plans and groundbreaking constructions happening in Sportsbrooke, Hikari assisted with the city projects (while he hired a babysitter to keep an eye on his children for a period of time). He had decided to not get married again but wanted to renovate volleyball and its culture.

Even though he was of short height, he became a symbol of a "Sports Legacy". Rumors began to say that he was powerful enough to grow wings as he jumped to make his moves with the volleyball. In one of the interviews, a fan asked him if he was ever given a nickname.

"If I was to have my own nickname, I guess I'd be the Small Giant," he smiled genuinely.

He returned home at night to see his children playing around with the blocks. The babysitter barely woke up in time to see him but he smiled and said, "Thank you for everything."

"Oh it's not a problem," she replied, "I best be going now."

"Wait," he said, "There's…something…I-I wanted to say."

"Oh?" she asked.

"You've been a great help with my kids for the last several years," he began, "The kids really do care for you and even though I haven't been much around as I should, I want to make our relationship closer."

He kneeled down and prepared his jewelry box and opened to reveal a ring, "Please…will you become Mrs. Hinata?"

"H-Hikari…" she replied, with a tear of happiness, "Yes I do! I'd be honored to become a new mother and a new wife!"

However, this happiness was not to last. A few months after the marriage, a burglar robbed into their home and stole several of the medals and awards. The culprit also shot down Hikari and the wife.

Natsu woke up to hear the gun shots and silently woke Shouyou up. The two children silently made their way out of the small house when they saw the glass case that held the trophies of their father, all destroyed. Blood stains were on the walls and floor that led to the horrific scene outside.

Shouyou's eyes widened in horror and in pure pain while Natsu stared silently, too shocked to even express he emotions.

Moments later, the police arrived and found the children. From there, they were sent to an adoption home where their journey began…

Everyday, Natsu would go pick out some rocks and sometimes flowers for the father's grave. The two would go there a lot to pray and then go on about with their lives. The burglar was not caught ever since and no one knew the exact fate of the children.

* * *

**3 Years Later: Southern Sportsbrooke District: Karasuno.**

"Onii-chan!" said Nasu.

Shouyou turned his head towards her as they were walking to their elementary school.

"Yeah what's up?" he asked.

"Do you think we'll ever have our family?" she replied, feeling saddened.

"I…I'm not sure, but it looks like we only have each other," he said, "Look. I'm upset by all of this too. But we can' let the losses destroy us. I'll rebuild our father's volleyball legacy, alright?"

Natsu smiled and answered, "I wanna be in it too! I don't think I can play the sport but if I can help with the management or something similar!"

"Of course," he nodded, "I think there is a volleyball session but I don't know what requirements are."

* * *

**Karasuno Middle Gymnasium**

After school, the two arrived at the middle of a session happening where they saw a bunch of players going back and forth with the ball. There were also a few smaller groups that were practicing on their bump passes while a few even made some attempts to spike.

Shouyou's eyes watched with amazement as he recalled back when father used to teach as well. On special nights (when their father was still alive), they would go with him and watch him and the students practice and even sometimes got to see a match going on.

"Amazing!" smiled Shouyou.

"Father would've loved us to play too," said Natsu said Natsu as the two sat down on the bleachers where some of the parents and families watched.

"Yeah, you're right," he agreed, "I can barely make a few things though in this…but I can jump as high as them."

"Really?" she asked, "You're not just saying that?"

"You've seen me how I try to use jump rope; I jump too high that the rope doesn't even go over me," he shrugged. I wonder if we'll make a team of our own."

A black haired boy with a pair of blue eyes walked in to the gymnasium and sat down not too far from the siblings. However, his eyes were fixed more on the ball than just the amusement of the game itself.

"Who's that?" asked Natsu.

"Oh I think I saw him earlier today at lunch," said Shouyou, "But he didn't give me any eye contact."

Tobio turned his head around to see the two siblings when his eyes widened on how Shouyou looked exactly like…

_No_ , he thought, _it can't be!_

Shouyou was about to wave hi but the boy got up and left. Shouyou grunted and got down from the bleachers followed by Natsu closely. The two rushed through the hallways and saw the boy exiting the school, heading to a nearby bus stop.

By the time the two arrived at the stop, Tobio turned and asked, "What do you guys want?"

"Uh, hi?" replied Shouyou, "How are you?"

"Fine," he said, "I was just mistaken you for someone else."

"You mean my father?" asked Shouyou, "Small Giant?"

Tobio grunted and said, "What makes you think that?"

"A lot of people say we have the same hairstyle…but my hair is orange compared to his black," replied Shouyou.

After a moment of hesitation, Tobio said, "Yes, I know of your father. He was very inspirational to many of us kids around here. We all wanted to take in his footsteps and help contribute to the city to grow."

"Do you play volleyball?" asked Natsu.

"I do," he said.

"Well how about making a team with us?" asked Shouyou, "We're looking around for members and…"

"No thanks," replied Tobio.

"But we can't find any motivational guys to play!" said Shouyou, "We'd be honored for you to join us!"

"I'm already on a local team," answered the dark-haired boy.

"Oh? What team is it?" asked the orange-haired boy.

"Kitagawa Daiichi," he answered, "But that's on the other side of this town."

"I'd still like to see," smiled Shouyou, "Please?"

* * *

The trio arrived at the Kitagawa Daiichi Volleyball Club which consisted of: Tooru Oikawa, Hajime Iwaizumi, Yuuarou Kindaichi, and Akira Kunimi. The five greeted Tobio and met Shouyou and his sister.

"Ah, welcome to our beloved team!" smiled Tooru, "You guys here to watch?"

"That and we like to join!" said Shouyou, "Well my sister can't play but she'd like to help around with managing and stuff."

"Hmm, there may be a chance to make arrangements," replied Tooru, "However, seeing that myself and Hajime will be moving to the Karasuno Middle soon, it will be a bit problematic."

"Wait a sec, Tooru," said Hajime, whispering to his ear, "Doesn't he look like…?"

"You know what, I was thinking the same thing," he answered, "I didn't pay close attention but yeah…"

"What's going on?" asked Natsu.

"We are honored to meet the two of you," said Tooru, "Both of you are the children of the late Small Giant, correct?"

"You've heard of us!?" gasped Shouyou.

"Of course, the name goes around quite easily here," he answered, "I've seen Small Giant around town but I never had the chance to meet the two of you. This is a great honor."

The two siblings watched the group practice around and even Shouyou had a chance to tryout. Despite his slight clumsiness, the group was surprised to see the height of his jump and the speed he possessed. Afterwards, Tooru promised to set the two up and gave them a schedule of events and practices.

* * *

**Present Day: Downtown Sportsbrooke**

A crowd about couple hundred protesters held up posters and messages about volleyball and how the GoM suppressed them in the society. Some carried messages like:

GIVE US A VOICE OF OUR SPORT!

BRING BACK OUR EXILED TO THIS CITY!

WHO ARE THESE WATER MAGICAL BEINGS TO ALLY YOUR WEAKNESSES!?

BASKETBALL SOCIETY =/= EQUALITY FOR ALL!

Several of the policemen and policewomen tried to calm down the crowds but a few of them broke into more violent protesting; breaking into stores and even fighting some of the police.

By the statue of the princess goddess, some people wrote messages in graffiti while a few with some graphic images.

Finally, the air was in a breeze as the Princess Goddess herself revealed to the crowd and sawe the mess happening.

"Your wait is over," she said, "A new prophecy has begun! Those who lost their beloved will be returned in time! The Magic Six are on their way to the realm where the exile were banished to!"

"HOW IS THAT EVEN TRUE?!" shouted some of the people.

"WHERE ARE THEY NOW!?" shouted others.

"They have been dispatched on a mission to settle the peace between the exiles and us, the government after the tragedy a few years ago," relied the Princess Goddess, "Have faith and soon volleyball will be recognized once again. However, those people who were criminals from the Karasuno District must be put to proper justice."

"YOU'RE LYING!" shouted one of the other guys, "HOW CAN YOUR POWERS TO SEE THE FUTURE BE TRUE, HUH?! HUH!?"

The goddess danced around, unleashing a rain of petals with soothing effects in hope to calm down the civilians. She didn't want to resort to this plan but had no choice in order to keep the peace in society.

_Magic Six_ , thought Kuroko, _please hurry back…_

* * *

**Near Karasuno City**

The remaining Magic Six, Midorima, Kagami and Gaardus finally found trails that led to the realm of the exiled volleyball players. Worried that someone would try to get their vehicles, they found sort of a hidden spot to hide some of the stuff as a cache until they rescued the others.

Midorima fixed up his glasses to scan the surroundings (He was trained with the scan ability from Riko and Momoi though it's not as advanced as the girls' but his bond to Takao did allow him to see things from a few different perspectives.)

"Anything?" asked Haruka.

"Not much," said Midorima, "Though I did see some massive towers that may look like some nuclear/radioactive sites."

"I have a feeling that's where that strange power was coming from," replied Gaardus, "The magic that they used earlier."

"The radioactive stuff?" asked Nagisa.

"We'll have to be extra careful when we get there," said the bird, "That material could kill us or the others!"

Alexa turned to see a strange statue standing in the middle of some rubble. It seemed that it was perhaps some sort of a shrine or whatever before it was wasted to ruins. He walked over there followed by the others. There was some sort of writing on the stones but the language was not in the language he and the others learned.

"What do you see Alexa-chan?" asked the blonde.

"What is this?" asked Kagami.

"Some sort of writing?" shrugged Midorima.

Alexa felt his brooch glowing so he took out the Solar Crystal which glowed on the writing. To their eyes, the writing transformed into an adaptive language that they could all read:

" _Behold, three saviors: one shall be born from the ruins of the sand…the second shall be born from a misty haven of the darkest green…the final shall be born in the deepest of the seas…only they can restore the lost prophecy of the past…our dear Olympia Magna_."

"Eh? Three Saviors!?" gasped Kagami and Midorima while the others kept on reading.

" _Only the heart of the most valiant can seal the safety of all sports. But the three must become one…the three that must make them one."_

_"The most valiant one will also end all evil…?"_

"End all evil?" asked Alexa, "Is that even possible?"

"Maybe someone is just putting graffiti?" shrugged Nagisa.

"Prophecies…" muttered Haruka.

Gaardus narrowed his eyes as that last word 'evil' made him remember something from long ago. However, there was no time to investigate this.

The gang continued their journey on the trail when they saw a massive skyline ahead. However it was not like Sportsbrooke but instead a jungle of ruins of old and new buildings. Sure enough, the nuclear towers were the first things that was spotted for miles around.

The skies were already beginning to set down at this point.

"How can we keep ourselves from being spotted?" asked Kagami.

"I can help with that," smiled the bird as it chirped and created a "fixed" area of camping stuff with a magical line that squared the area.

"This will keep us out of the radar," replied Phoenix, "Just stay in the line until we leave tomorrow to investigate further."

"And your magic is that powerful?" asked Midorima.

"Gaardus has been protecting all of us on our travels," said Nagisa, "He'll definitely keep us safe and the others no matter how far away they are."

Haruka took a small rock that he found and used it to write something on the sand:

_For The Team…_

* * *

**Flashback: Rakuzan, 5 ½ years ago…**

A 15 year old Akashi sat in his cot, looking at the brochure of Sportsbrooke. He couldn't wait to make his leave soon after all of what was happening in this small, trashy village.

The only memories he had of his mother was when she used to take him to the nearby mountains and look from the small town, saying that this realm is nowhere near magnificent as the rest of the world's hidden beauties. She always had hope for him to find a talent in his heart.

But after her death was when weird things happening. He developed a two-sided personality and kept himself away from his father, Hiroshi.

His father was a politician of the town and has served the near-empty community for the last 23 years. Every now and then, a bunch of visitors would pass through but only a few of them were even lucky enough to stay a week.

That's when he met someone…a familiar face that would one day haunt him in the future…

* * *

**1 Year Prior:**

Shouyou and Natsu arrived in the Rakuzan village as they were passing through to see the White Tank Mountains nearby. Of course, the two were stopped by the government officials who welcomed them to the city.

"Um we are here to see the mountains," shrugged Shouyou.

"Oh that," said Hiroshi, "Well they're about 10 miles from here. Are you sure you guys don't want to rest up a bit? How about your parents?"

"They're dead for years," replied the older orange-haired boy.

"I see," replied Hiroshi, "Well I have lost my wife several years ago but my son would be more than happy to bring you both to the mountains."

After summoning his son, Seijuurou saw the two children as his father said, "These two want to take a trip up to the mountains. Can you take them?"

Akashi stared at the two siblings for a moment but gave a small smile and replied, "Of course. I was actually going to go there myself. I'll pack a few extra supplies."

Shouyou and Natsu followed Akashi as they took the trek across the desert. Thankfully, Akashi had kept a secret cache of water canteens, some herbs and other small snacks he collected.

"I'm sorry if my father is a pushover," said Akashi, "He's the mayor of our town and is trying to get people to come visit and make profit.

"Oh no, don't worry about it," smiled Natsu.

"Well it did look like you have a few stores," replied Shouyou.

"True but we don't get new supplies till the end of each month," sighed Akashi, "I've heard there's this town of Sportsbrooke and…"

"Oh?!" gasped the two siblings, "You know about it too!?"

"Yeah…and you…?" he asked.

"We both are from there actually," said Shouyou, "We've been seeing the town growing. Maybe you should come back with us!"

"Maybe I should," smiled the red-haired, "And that's great! I hope to move out there someday myself."

It was already sunset when they finally got to the mountain base. There were a few campgrounds that weren't in use so Akashi unpacked his stuff and checked for everything.

The two siblings were amazed at the height of the mountain.

"But there's something I don't understand," said Akashi, "Why did you two take the trouble to come here?"

"Oh um…well we had a friend that recommended us to come here," replied Shouyou, "They drove out for us but they were running low on the gasoline halfway on the trip. Thankfully we were close to your village but they had to wait for someone to take the car back."

"But why did you leave them?" asked Akashi, "I don't understand…are they your caregivers?"

"Well they told us to keep on moving as they said there was a village nearby," shrugged the other boy.

Who are these people, thought Akashi, being careful to not summon his other persona.

"Well then," he replied, "Let's camp here and we'll take the trek tomorrow morning."

* * *

**Nightfall:**

Akashi dumped the water to close off the fire while the siblings went to their tents to sleep. Feeling rather uneasy about them, Akashi extended his hand out, hoping to use his power on them.

"I…I am absolutely swear that I am," he chanted, calling about his other persona.

"My, my, quite a frightening power you developed dearie," said a voice.

Akashi turned to see a man standing by wearing a cloak in his hands. He looked like a young fellow but the red-haired sensed something unusual about him.

"Who are you to be in my absolute way?" he growled.

"I am Theagenes…the great Theagenes of the past," replied the man, "One of the greatest sportsman in ancient history but I have retired to magic…and sports if those can pay the price."

"So you're the one who owns that Shop of the Mystics, right?" he asked.

"Indeed, but I am far more than just a simple store keeper," said the man, "I am inspirational…grateful…but yet…one must prepare the consequences."

"I'm looking at these two siblings," replied Akashi, "Can you tell me how dangerous they are? Are they actually humans or is this something usual?"

"Hmm well, I have heard about them," said Theagenes, "Their father was once the famed Small Giant."

Akashi gasped as he too heard that name whispering in his town a while back. It was a rumor that said about Small Giant coming to this town and to help bring volleyball and potential other sports here to vitalize the area.

"If that's true, why are they here?" asked Akashi.

"I'm afraid I don't know the answer," he replied, "Their minds are clouded in mysterious thoughts just like their father. He was clearly a man of the past…before he brought them to this land."

"The past?" he answered, "Wait! Are you saying…?"

"Indeed," said Theagenes, "They were brought into the future…this land."

_I wonder what kind of past life did I had_ , he thought.

"Alright, enough playing games," replied Akashi, "What are they doing here?"

"…you should know," said the man, "Deep down… _they're after something…something of important value."_

Akashi narrowed his eyes and raised out his hand, calling upon the emperor eye once more. This time, his left eye finally flickered and turned to a golden-orange, casting him to a nightmare before his eyes:

_An entire city engulfed by flames…a bunch of people died on the ground…but the man who stood with a smile on his face…_

"N-NO!" he shouted as his mind traced back to reality, "I-It can't be! He wants revenge!"

Theagenes was nowhere to be seen but the nightmare he saw…was it really true? Could it really be that his family and future be in danger?

Akashi woke up violently in his tent and breathed heavily. He thanked to himself that it was a dream…right?

_But,_ he thought, _that man…he seemed like a real person. The worst part…is that I feel like I knew him from somewhere?_

He could hear Shouyou getting out from his tent for the morning sunrise. Akashi crawled out and sure enough saw Shouyou jumping high in the air as if he was flying.

The orange-haired landed down and turned to see Akashi, "Morning to you!"

"I see you're excited for the hike," he smiled.

* * *

The three children made their way up through the trails as the sun continued to rise up. Natsu drank up her canteen as the arid desert temperature was rising up.

"Sister, are you going to be alright?" asked Shouyou.

"There's a spring towards the top," said Akashi, "We'll use it to refill the canteens."

Natsu nodded and they continued upwards. It was only a few moments of walking when something quick grabbed the sister as she muffled a scream. The two boys turned and saw two older men holding Natsu while the third had a gun ready behind her head.

"NATSU!" shouted Shouyou but the blonde haired guy ready his gun at them.

"Which of you possesses the power of God's Eye?" asked Nash Gold Jr.

"ANSWER THE QUESTION!" shouted Jason Silver.

Shouyou was incredibly frightened by this but he had to do something of his skill. However, Akashi silently stared at them as if he was ready to feast a wild boar.

"What makes you think that one should possess such a power?" asked Akashi darkly.

"Sounds like someone had the balls to reply," hissed Nash.

"And what does my sister have to do with your request?!" shouted Shouyou.

"She'll become our personal ally and someone to enjoy…" began Nash, "Someone fresh…"

Akashi growled and his eyes glowed red and orange, blinding the two men back while they still held Natsu tightly. At the instant, Shouyou leaped over and grabbed Natsu safely to the side of the trail.

"Looking for this?" asked Akashi, "You can't get a man who is absolute. Now, be good gentlemen…and take a long nap."

He snapped his fingers and the two men collapsed to the ground. Shouyou stared at Akashi with a bit of shock.

"Y-you-your eye!" said Shouyou.

"Yes, but they don't call it the God's Eye…it's rather known as the Emperor Eye," said Akashi.

_Which is why, you have to forgive me_ , thought Akashi, _but you two are not safe here._

Before Shouyou could reply, Akashi called it upon again and said, "You two must return to Sportsbrooke, never to return here…that's absolute and final."

He snapped his fingers and teleported them back to the city as well as erasing their memories of him and their times together. Akashi held out a small vial of orange fluid that contained these memories together of the last several hours.

* * *

**Present Day: Chernobyl Tower A, Karasuno City**

Natsu arrived at one of the reactor towers and watched the workers at the job. She couldn't believe how fast the production was going as there was a chart of all things created by the "Chernobyl Crystal" and there were even new crystals being made with the radioactive material inside.

Several of the people including Nobuyuki, Kei, Sou, and a few others gathered some of the tools to carefully check on the crystals without contaminating them.

"You sure we got the right amount of the stuff in?" asked Nobuyuki.

"It has to," said Kei, "We can't disappoint Shouyou."

"I wonder what he'll really do with all of this," shrugged Sou, "Does he really plan to destroy the city?"

"That's none of you to be concerned with," said a voice as the trio turned to see Kiyoko Shimizu.

The trio jumped out of the way and resumed their work as the manager inspected the area to make sure it was still relatively safe for the workers.

Natsu waved to Kiyoko. Once the dark-haired girl saw her, she smiled and exited the room and made her way up the stairs to meet up.

"Hey, I haven't heard from you!" said Kiyoko, "How's our princess doing?"

"…I'm worried…and scared," she replied, "Onii-chan is being all gloom and doom. He's always so fed up with his ambitions!"

"He's just trying to protect all of us," answered the other girl, "Like how can we even live the way we used to?"

"…are you serious?" asked Natsu, disgusted, "There had to have been another way! I am sure we can try to make peace and…"

"And what?" asked Kiyoko, "Trying to pray and hope that the basketball folks will listen to us?! You saw how they treated us upon our exile."

Natsu's face began to tear up as she cried silently, "Why…why does no one want to listen to me?!"

After a moment of silence, Kiyoko replied, "I'm sorry to be so harsh. It's just…I just wish we too could have been given mercy. But it's already clear that the rest of the people in Sportsbrooke won't give us a second chance."

"You mustn't give up hope!" said Natsu, "You taught me that while we still lived there! And here you are going to just listen to my brother's orders and make a weapon!?"

"…there's nothing much I can do," she answered, "I'm sorry. I do…wish for another way. But…unless you can get help from somewhere…we're stuck the way we are."

Natsu released the hug and said, "I won't give up on onii-chan, I know he'll be alright if I can just get him to open his eyes."

She rushed back out, hearing her heart calling out from the desert. She had to leave this town if she was going to find a miracle. Something had to happen!

Natsu went to her room to gather her cloak and a few clothes that were old to disguise herself and she snuck her way out, heading through some secret passages until she managed to get out to the desert.

She didn't get too far when she saw a group of men standing far away from the view. Natsu gasped and wondered if these people were more exiles but a few steps closer and she already sensed strong power…a warm, healing power…

"Look you guys!" said Nagisa, pointing to the girl.

Alexa gasped as he saw her standing there in a bit of shock. Both sides stared at each other, wondering if today, was the day…that they will change things again.

**~Episode 3 END~**

* * *

**~Episode 4 PV~**

**Natsu:** Please help me! My brother was not the same person as he once was!

**Alexa:** We'll do what we can to solve the mystery of this town.

**Nagisa:** Yeah, we'll do our very best!

**Haruka:** So what kind of a wasp nest is this?

**Makoto:** I...I must protect him...it's all of my fault!

**Rin:** We'll find a way out of this dark mess! I swear it!

**Rei:** Where are we in this unbeautiful shadows?

**Midorima:** Next time, _Free! **The Price of Dark Power!** It's time we begin to crack down bad karma with my good luck frog!_


	5. Chapter 5

**_Episode 4:_ ** **_ダークパワーの価格_ ** **_!_ ** **_The Price of Dark Power!_ **

Natsu stared at the group, wondering with her innocent expression. Clearly they were not under the influence of the Radioactive Chernobyl Crystal but they had such powers rivaling that of her brother's.

"Um…hello?" asked Nagisa.

She took a step in and said, "T-travelers?"

"Um, we traveled here to this city to find our friends," replied the blond.

"Friends? Wait, you mean one with the olive-oiled hair and green eyes?" she asked.

"YES!" gasped Alexa, "Makoto was here?!"

"If that's his name, then he was put to the Chamber of Darkness," she answered.

"The Chamber of Darkness?" asked Haruka

"Well that's quite an original," muttered Midorima.

"Rei-chan and Rin-chan, are they here also?" asked Nagisa.

"Onii-chan told me he had plans to capture 3 of the teammates…I'm assuming it's you guys," she replied.

"NO way!" gasped Kagami, "You mean he's…"

"Yes, my brother," she said with a sigh, "Please, have mercy on us! He was not always like this! It all happened when he met some dark forces with a black crystal. It influenced him to bring the exiles to this city to produce more of them as weapons."

"So something brought him to this city?" asked Midorima, "After all of what happened?"

"Onii-chan wants revenge to Sportsbrooke," she explained, "He blames it all on the power of the Legendary Solar Crystal.

Alexa grunted softly as he kept his grip on the Dragon Crystal Brooch.

"Why is he after us?" asked Haruka.

"To capture Prince Julius," she said, turning her head towards Alexa.

"He's after the crystal isn't he?" asked Alexa.

"Worse than that," said Natsu, "He plans to contaminate it with the Chernobyl Crystal to make it become a destructive weapon."

"You've done enough for today…" echoed a voice, "My sister..."

"NO!" she gasped as they all turned to see Shouyou floating high above them.

"You honestly think getting help from strangers…or rather our enemy will solve problems?" he asked.

"Onii-chan!" she shouted, "Don't do this!"

Shouyou only smirked and raised his hand out towards Alexa with his Staff of the Chernobyl, hypnotizing him under his sleeping spell.

"ALEXAAAA!" shouted Haruka, Midorima and Kagami.

"ALEXA-CHANNNN!" cried Nagisa.

"You all deserve to face the harshness of the desert," said Shouyou, using his crystal to blast them away across the desert while he teleported back with Alexa and Natsu to his private chambers.

* * *

**Downtown Sportsbrooke**

After hours of protesting, most of the people returned back to their lives but several others were making fundraisers, charity-like events and other petitions to give mercy to the exiles. Some other people were arrested for making some violent protests.

Akashi and his colleagues sat down in the meeting room of the Government building and discussed what has been happening. After recalling Kuroko's words, the red-haired knew that he could not hide from the truth any longer.

"There is a time…and a place…where we all make mistakes; some can be big and unforgivable…others can be small and simply forgotten," he said, "I have made a mistake that I must live up to. And now I must give back."

He colleagues kept silent as he continued, "A couple of years ago, before the Dark Curse struck this town, the city was facing scientific movements and new innovations. However, some of the retired volleyball players have tried something that was not previously approved by the government and put almost everyone at risk. That's when I took executive action and used the powers I was given…to drive them away. That part wasn't the worst…

It was what we did after that… _suppressing the rights of the volleyball players, their lifestyle and restrictions to the Karasuno district here. I was doing what was easy…not what was right._ "

"So what do you plan to do?" asked one of the secretaries.

" _We must give them back their rights and reach out to those who do not mean ill-will_ ," he said, "Anyone…whether they are a volleyball or basketball player or other sports…if they are putting ill-will, they are the ones to be stopped and checked to make sure they will no longer be a threat."

"And what about the project with swimming?" asked one of the audience members.

"We will resume the project once we get most of the people pitched in. For now, our allies have gone out to find the exiles and hopefully we can get them back," answered the red-haired.

* * *

**West Sportsbrooke**

Kisumi woke up to his alarm and checked on the time. It was an early day for him since he was now working full-time in downtown as well as the schools for teaching basketball. However, it wasn't easy with the protests happening.

He turned on the T.V. and saw the live conference with Akashi and other government officials. From what it looked like, things are getting better.

_However, are they going to survive_ , thought Kisumi, _after Makoto was captured…_

He clasped his hands together as he remembered back in his days on Aqua Duniya; praying was the key. "The pink-peached haired might not be into swimming or water as much, but he never lost his faith to the Magic Six and his brother.

* * *

**Aqua Duniya**

Sousuke walked across the upper deck of the tower fortress that surrounded the kingdom of Hawakoto. As part of the duties of the Water Knights, he, Momo, and Nitori were often put here at the walls to keep an eye out on the surrounding nature.

He watched the sun drifting slowly across the skies and a warm breeze entering through the kingdom. Everything here was peaceful but it also felt slightly incomplete.

Nitori walked into the scene followed by Momo while the latter was laughing at his new pet Pyunsuke crawling across his shoulders.

"I see someone is having fun," said Sousuke.

"Both of you should consider having a pet! I think a duck would suit you Nitori!" smiled Momo.

Nitori sighed while Sousuke chuckled for a moment. Despite not having Rin or the others around, these two keep him busy at work.

"The southern wall is intact," reported Nitori, "You guys wanna go get some lunch? I've heard Awlida and the others are having a picnic today."

"Oh?" asked Momo.

"Ah, her daughter is turning 2 today, right?" asked Sousuke.

"Yeah, she wants us and a few others to celebrate," he said.

* * *

**Hawakoto Swim Facility**

Seijuurou held little Hayato floating on his back as he instructed, "Now do as what I've told you. Keep yourself steady, work those arms and legs and be sure to look up."

Hayato nodded as Seijuurou slowly let go but kept his hands beneath the little child. The little Shigino brother softly drifted his way across the water and he finally kicked with his legs, moving faster and faster as if he was flying.

He gasped as the little child could feel peace and happiness in his surroundings. Sei smiled as he knew that he would finally have the courage to swim. The first few sessions were a bit awkward and slow progress but thanks to his younger brother, Hayato gained the courage.

"Looks like we got a new backstroke swimmer!" he chuckled.

Hayato stopped finally at the shallow end as Sei quickly swam over to him to help the boy touch the ground with his toes.

"Thank you so much!" smiled Hayato.

"Don't thank me, thank yourself!" he said, "You gave yourself the faith you need!"

"I wished my brother was here…to see me," replied he little kid, "it's kinda sad."

"I'm sure he'll be thrilled to see you swim," smiled Seijuurou, "Keep up the hard work and he'll definitely be here!"

* * *

After lessons were over, Seijuurou saw Gou waiting for him along with Nitori, Momo and Sousuke. Makoto's twin siblings were also present.

"You finished?" asked Gou.

"For now," said Sei, "Hayato is making progress. Sasabe is going to bring him back to the house with my folks for the time being."

"You think Kisumi will return here soon?" asked Sousuke.

"Whatever he decides is his own choice," said the elder Mikoshiba brother, "I'm sure Haru and the others are doing fine as well."

"It's already been almost two months, hasn't it?" sighed Momo.

"Two months our time but we have no idea how long it's been for them," answered Gou, "Oh dear, what if they come back as old men?!"

The others laugh with her as Nitori said, "You just want to make sure their muscles are intact!"

"Well yes that, but…I seriously do worry for their safety as well," she replied as the others nodded I agreement.

"Then let's head out," replied Sousuke, "We got a birthday party to attend to."

* * *

The group arrived to the picnic as they saw Awlida and Matsuura along with Anne and Shirahama. Awlida's daughter, Tsubaki was playing with some crayons in a coloring book.

Deana and Glena brought over some of the bakery goods while Masaru was busy grilling some of the fillets. Akane, on the other hand, brought over some extra supplies of napkins, cups, dishes, etc.

"Hi you guys!" said Awlida, "I'm glad you all made it!"

"It's been busy but we did our best," smiled Momo.

"It must be tough to be on duty as a Water Knight," nodded Deana, "But at least having a little bit of a break will be nice."

Sousuke looked at the little kid as Tsubaki was coloring the pages. She looked her head up to see him and giggled.

"Awww Tsubakiiii!" smiled Awlida as she hugged her and held her up, "You're gonna be a big girl pretty soon!"

"Who are you?" smiled Sousuke..

"Say your name," said Awlida as she held her child and turned her to Sousuke.

"T-Ts-Tsuba-k-ki," she replied.

"Nice to meet you," he answered, "My name is Sousuke."

The others smiled and watched the two interacting. Matsuura walked up to his beloved and said, "Food is almost ready."

"Alright," she nodded.

"Oh have you heard any word of the others? Rin, Haru, Makoto?" asked Glena.

"Not much has happened lately," said Gou, shaking her head, "I did though…managed to link my mind to onii-chan and I saw a terrible battle happening where they were at. However, they won for now so that's a good sign."

"I see," replied Glena, "I do hope they're okay."

"I just wish I could've went with them," she answered, "It must be really tough though."

"Don't worry!" smiled Ran, "Mako-chan will take care of everyone!"

"Yeah!" agreed Ren, "We know he's strong!"

Gou smiled with a nod as she hugged the Tachibana twins with a tear of hope. Everyone finally gathered together to sit down on the grass for the picnic as all the plates, utensils, and food were supplied around.

_Rin_ , thought Sousuke, _please come back home safe with the others…_

* * *

**Prayer Chamber, Hawakoto Fortress**

The three remaining kings walked together in the prayer chamber when Tatsuhisa and Toraichi both had nightmares of their sons being captured by the Black Crows. Magnus joined up with them as they each carried a gemstone that symbolized their deceased loved ones as well as their respective husbands.

Once the stones were lined up, they glowed as an astral projection of Daisuke, Tsubasa, and Nobunaga appeared.

"It's been a long time, my friends," smiled Daisuke.

"I'm glad you were able to hear our call this time," replied Tatsuhisa, "Bad things are happening right now to our sons, aren't they?"

"Well it is true that Rei, Makoto, Rin, and now Alexa too, are captured," said Tsubasa sadly.

"N-No!" cried Magnus, "By them too!? Oh don't tell me they took the crystal!"

"The crystal is still with him," replied Nobunaga, "But he's finally awakened…as Julius."

The other kings gasped and realized that the time was moving closer and closer to 'that day'. It has only been a few months since the Magic Six were gone and the New Year was almost arriving.

"…Haru has been acting strange lately," continued Nobunaga, "I think he knows the death mark on Alexa as well. Makoto and Rin somehow managed to keep their memories of that horrible day and now the others will soon find out."

"…it's my fault for doing this," sighed Magnus, "I wiped all their memories clean just to spare some pain for them."

"We have to tell them the truth," replied Tatsuhisa, "There is one way Alexa can be saved but that route will be just as painful…as death."

"What could possibly be just as bad?" asked Daisuke.

"…A-Alexa…h-he…he was **_born with the potential for great darkness_** ," said Magnus, "That's why…as long as he has that crystal by his side, he will stay into the light."

"For Great Darkness?" asked Nobunaga.

"…the one who gave him the Mark of Death…its association…" replied Magnus, "it belongs to the Dark One."

* * *

**Western Olympus Desert, Planet Olympia**

Nagisa woke up and found himself somewhere alone in the sands of the desert. He noticed that the others were blasted away to who knew where and it was not good at all.

I-I'm alone…thought Nagisa, increasingly worried.

"Nagisa!" echoed Gaardus's voice, "Are you alright?!"

"Gaardus-chan!" shouted the blond, "Yeah I'm fine but where were you?!"

"I found the location exactly of where the others are at while you confronted Shouyou, forgive me. But I know where you and the others are at, you can use your transformation powers to regroup!" replied the Phoenix.

"Y-you mean our…?" began Nagisa.

"Yes, go! Transform!"

Nagisa nodded and raised up his Penguin Star Dagger Wand and shouted, **_"PENGUIN STAR POWERRRRRR, MAAAAKEEEEE UP!"_**

The Penguin Star Dagger glowed in pulses before the entire scene turned into a spiral, rosy vortex as he could feel himself spinning fast in a cyclone while being transparent. Nagisa grabbed the dagger as his nails turned magenta and rotated his arms through the breaststroke pattern while pink ribbons of energy wrapped around his arms and head, donning his golden cuffs and his headpiece.

The blond made a series of cartwheel flips, obtaining the rest of his clothes; the red-white vest, the sashes of purple and the skirt-like pants for his legs. Nagisa made a soft smile and giggle as several penguins made chirping noises in the background, assisting him with the rest of the jewelry and other pieces that were missing.

As for his new weapon, the Star Dagger transformed into a two-handed broadsword at the side of his sash. The Suiei necklace appeared beneath his outfit as it shined at the ready.

He opened his eyes and made another cartwheel flip, summoning the spell book on his hand stand. The book floated next to him with a soft pink glow. He snapped his fingers as the book opened with the pages flipping magically while he readied himself for the battle with his new sword on hand and the book floating to his left.

The blonde stared out to the space as he could sense Haruka and the others not too far away from here. He predicted that if he unleashed a power of his attack into the skies, the others might be able to see it.

"PENGUIN WATERRRRR STORMMM!" shouted the blonde as he raised his broadsword to the skies and a blast of freezing rain soared up high, creating an explosion.

* * *

Haruka woke up to see the blast as he realized that it was coming from a distance.

_Nagisa must have summoned his powers_ , he thought, getting up on his feet. He too was also alone and knew that this as not the time nor the place to succumb. Deep down, he was worried for Rin and the others even though the secret that Rin kept did bother him a little.

For now, they had to regroup and reorganize their goals.

Haruka took out his Dolphin Star Dagger Wand and cried out, **_"DOLPHIN STAR POWERRRRRR, MAAAAKKEEEE UP!"_**

The Dolphin Star Dagger Wand flickered and then exploded bright blue lights that matched his ocean colored eyes. He grabbed the dagger as his nails turned blue before he danced his way through the transformation sequence. The arms and triceps flexed and twitched the muscles as ripping energy waved through his body.

Haruka gently walked and spun around as he flipped his hair to the right, donning a black shirt with a white cloth above, black pants, a white-blue head cover turban, and a blue-yellow scarf.

Flipping his hair to the left, he donned some blue-green jewelry, a sword covered in a red sheath that attached to a golden belt, and a pair of shoe coverings. His Suiei necklace was tucked beneath his clothing but the powers unleashed were echoing across the area.

He turned his head forward as his transformation was smooth and streamlined like a Dolphin swimming through the rough waves at a constant pace.

Haruka opened his eyes and took his battle stance with his Dolphin Razor Sword at the ready. He added his power attack to the blast in the skies as it created a series of dark thunderstorm clouds over the area.

Nagisa smiled as he saw the sign from Haruka's powers signaling his transformation to the Suiei Senshi.

Kagami and Midorima woke up to see the dark clouds rolling across the skies as they realized it has to have come from the two.

"Such powers," muttered Midorima, pushing up his glasses.

"Are they going to storm over the city?" asked Kagami.

"Well it may as well draw attention perhaps? Or keep them in shelter," shrugged the megane.

"Suiei Hazuki…I summon thee to take me to Haru-chan!" chanted Nagisa as he used his teleportation water spell to turn into the mist and sending him to reunite with Haru.

Gaardus flew down as the two reunited and chirped, "Both of you are now understanding how your powers work. You can use so much more with this magic but for now, let's go save the others."

"Yeah!" said Nagisa, "You ready, Haru-chan?"

Haruka nodded as he knew that he can't argue with the blond. Nagisa was already a cheerful member of the group like Alexa. The two turned to see Kagami and Midorima as Gaardus's powers brought them back together.

They turned to the city as the dark clouds began to produce a storm over, hoping to draw the attention and distraction. Now it was time; to begin their rescue mission!

* * *

**Shouyou's Inner Chamber, Miyagi Palace**

Alexa woke up and found himself sitting on a throne. His clothes were gone replaced by some near-nude garments and fabrics that exposed a bit of his skin like a god.

"W-where is…" he began.

"You're here in my chamber," said the voice of Shouyou.

"W-who was that girl?" asked Alexa.

"Oh? You mean my sister?" he replied, "Yes her…Natsu has been my sister for the longest time. However she believes in hope and happiness and knows everything about you and the others as well. I already locked her up for the day so she won't interfere with us."

Alexa grunted darkly as the orange-haired boy stepped into the scene. He was clearly a bit smaller in height but his body was as grown-up as his own; he was visibly muscled but not as massive as Makoto or the others. His skin was as white as snow but the darkness of his personality overturned it.

"I never thought we'd actually meet at the same time, Prince Julius," said Shouyou, "Foolish Prince of the Great Seas…but I must admit, you are very handsome…someone worth of value."

"What do you want?" growled Alexa, "Why are you trying to destroy Sportsbrooke?!"

"You really don't know what happened, do you?" replied Shouyou, leaning against a pillar, "Akashi definitely is hiding things from you gentlemen. He's only trying his best to become a great leader along with the Princess Drag Queen of the city."

Alexa narrowed his eyes in silence as he could almost hear an echo of Shouyou's heart trying to make feelings exposed. The orange-haired continued, "Years ago, a group of us were trying to become scientists for the city. However, due to the city's population, there was a demand that a leader would take charge and lead everyone to the future. My friends that you killed were a part of them, they were known as "Replay Operation"."

_But I don't understand, if these guys were up to something before the dark curse_ , thought Alexa, _how is it that they turned against them?_

"Because of my family's reputation of Small Giant and his leadership years ago, the people turned to me to become a candidate for the city," said Shouyou, "However, the Replay Operation's secret was exposed and we were shunned of our plans."

"That's because you planned to destroy the city!" replied Alexa.

Shouyou laughed darkly and said, "True, I did want to destroy the city inside out but if it wasn't for that ugly-ass bird that kept watching us, we'd would've rebuilt a new history!"

_Takao_ , thought Alexa, _it had to have been him!_

"Akashi used his powers on us, kicking us out from the city but that's when I met someone…an entity named Chernobyl," he bragged, "Chernobyl Pripyat brought us to this ruined place and instructed us to make new weapons and radioactive bombs. He said that the Radioactive Chernobyl Crystal is powerful enough to destroy a city as large as Sportsbrooke.

"However, that's when you come in…you possess the Legendary Solar Crystal of Destiny; a crystal with wonderful but terrible miracles. Chernobyl said that it is the power that can match with the Radioactive Crystal."

Shouyou turned to Alexa and walked over closer, saying, "I never thought that the user of the crystal would look so beautiful…the innocent light of your eyes…the dark hair that once resembled trees…I cannot stand here and watch..."

Alexa tried to move from his seat but Shouyou used his magic to hold him in place. The orange hair touched Alexa's face and said, "After learning about your historic past…I wanted to see you and make you kneel before me. I finally have you… _Suiei Marotta… **Prince Julius…**_ "

Shouyou slowly locked his lips into Alexa, making a deep kiss. Alexa's eyes widened in horror and he pushed him back with a yelp.

Not taking a moment to hesitate, Alexa got up, raised up his Dragon Crystal Brooch and shouted, **_"DRAGON CRYSTAL POWERRRRR, MAAAAKKEEEE UP!"_**

The brooch glowed briefly but flicked dead, not triggering anything. Alexa gasped and looked at it, "I…I can't transform!?"

Shouyou laughed and answered, "This city is filed with the energy of the Radioactive Chernobyl Crystal. Any power that is not from there will be absorbed and neutralized! Including that crystal!"

"You won't get away with this!" said Alexa.

"Oh, I already have," smirked Shouyou as he left the room, "This will be your new home. Explore all you want but you won't be able to escape."

* * *

**Flashback: Kise's Life Pre-Sportsbrooke**

To the just south of the Crescent Spike Mountains, a small trickled river led to a semi-grassy land of Kaijou. Every year, for as long as anyone remember, a festival was hosted by the Kise family where they have trained animals that survived out in the desert and used it for entertaining purposes. A series of ancient ruins also housed on some sort of technology that was used from long ago that were used for prepwork for the animals.

_At least that's why I suspect_ , thought the 12-year old blond.

"Hey Ryou!" shouted a familiar voice.

Ryouta turned to see Kei Tsukishima waving out to him. Kei worked for his family's circus as one of the trapeze artists.

"Hi!" he called out back, "I thought you were going to practice!"

"I was, but they didn't set anything up," sighed Kei, "Anyway, it's been hectic the last several days. The audience expects me to pull stunts that the older participants can perform."

"Well you are a great jumper," shrugged Kise.

"Yeah, but I haven't even mastered the double trapeze…I can barely do a flying one without killing myself," he said.

"…honestly I think this whole business is a fraud," replied Kise.

"EHH!? Why do you think so?" asked Kei.

"Because it's not real magic," said the blond, "My parents think that this whole family business is all just magic. But I discovered something the other day with one of the rare mountain lions that they had. They were injecting him something and before I knew it; the beast was already calmed down."

"Do you think your parents are…" began the other guy.

"They're the fraud! I told them the other day that their magic was fake and they grounded me for a week. I can't stand it!" he said, "Worse, they plan to kill one of our pets because of the obsession the creature has with my company."

"I'm so sorry," said Kei sadly.

"It's not your fault, you're just a victim," sighed Kise, "I'll see you later!"

* * *

Kise returned to his tent where he kept a stash of things he found in the ancient ruins. He was trying to hide some of the stuff from his parents because they were using it on the animals and he didn't want the animals to suffer unknown stuff they were using.

One of the baby tigers was brought in from another family who wished to have some sort of treatment but since Kise took the "medicine", the parents had to keep the cat safe until they were found.

He got out of his personal tent space and walked over around the circus area to see if the tiger was still in its cage. Sure enough it was resting somewhat peacefully until he walked close enough for its eyes to open.

Kise stepped back in fear for a moment but the baby tiger squeaked a baby roar that sounded like a cat's meow.

"Oh you're so cuteeee," said Kise as he gently brushed its fur. The tiger smiled happily and purred before it made another squeak.

"I wanna name you Kicchi," smiled the blond.

After a few moments of watching the baby cub, Kise walked off but somehow felt like his body could run across the world and explore all of the desert. Seconds, later he found himself jogging before running fast across the area. He was moving so quickly that all was a blur until he finally stopped.

"Ehhhhh!?" he gasped as he looked around frantically, "H-how did I…"

"I see someone's magic has awakened," said a voice.

Kise turned to see a man in a cloak who looked like an athlete but was dressed up and had not a sign of sweat.

"W-who are you?" he asked.

"Just someone who's been observing dearie," replied the man, "However, it looks like your reputation proceeds you."

"I have no clue on what you're saying. I don't understand how I even ran this fast…" began Kise.

"I can possibly explain," said the man, walking closer, "Your magic is awakening."

"W-what!?" replied the blond, "That's not true! Magic doesn't exist!"

"Not the artificial ones that your parents are doing no," said Theagenes, "But…the magic in your heart is awakening."

"M-my heart?" asked Kise.

"If I told you about a city that is far to the south and a bit east, would you believe me?" asked Theagenes, "I think you might want to live there."

"Who is to say where I will live?" replied the blond, "You don't know me!"

"Well I may not know you now but I have met someone like you ages ago, someone who was also named Ryouta but his last name was Miyagi…a prophecy has begun," said Theagenes, "I can teach you more about your powers; you just have to believe."

"I don't need anything," replied Kise, running back to the village and his tent.

* * *

**2 Days Later:**

Kise returned to his tent after another round of chores were finished when he heard a cry of the tiger. He got out and saw his parents taking the animal by force on the leash.

"W-what are you doing!?" he shouted.

His father turned around and said, "The baby is going for a walk with us."

"Where are you taking him to?" asked the blond.

"Honey, just…go to sleep," replied the mom, "The baby isn't feeling too well so we'll take him in for some help."

The blond grunted and returned to his tent but this was not going to turn out well. Moments later, he got out again as he saw the parents leaving from afar.

A warm hissing sound was heard from nearby. Kise saw a snake slithering away slowly. Curious, he brushed his hand over the snake before following after his parents.

_My heart is on fire,_ thought Kise, _if they kill that tiger, I…I don't know…_

The blond made his way through the village where he saw the parents heading towards the ruins nearby. Keeping his distance and silence, Kise approached the scene to see what was happening. To his surprise, his silence kept him from being noticed.

_Maybe the man was right, real magic is in my heart_ , thought Kise.

"You're beginning to awaken there, dearie," said the same voice.

Kise turned to Theagenes and replied, "Where is this town? How can I get there?"

"It'll be a long journey," he answered, "But with your powers starting to awaken, try to copy them from the tiger and you'll be able to run for miles."

"I can't!" said Kise, "My parents will see me!"

"How much are you going to keep lying to yourself? You know something is wrong but you can't take action?" asked Theagenes.

"I…I'm scared," he said, "I'm scared that they'll go after me next."

"Then don't let it be that way," replied Theagenes, "Make your destiny."

Kise turned and saw the tiger struggling to break free from the chains as it was put onto the marble table. He saw the same shots and supplies that was kept hidden.

"N-No!" gasped Kise, "They found the stash that I hid?!"

His palms were sweaty but he had to take this action, fearing for the Tiger's life. But he was too scared. The father injected the medication inside as the tiger roared loudly in pain before it collapsed.

Kise's mind screamed in agony as he watched the moments of death taking place. Afterwards the parents left the tiger alone; probably going to get a drink or something.

"Kiichi!" said Kise silently, "This home isn't for us. We must leave! I…I can't believe I just stood there and did nothing…I was so scared! I'm so sorry I failed to save you…"

He began to tear up as he brushed his hand against the baby cub, knowing that it couldn't be saved. However, moments later, the tiger opened its eyes and grew larger into adult size by the minute. The blond turned to see the magic coming from Theagenes.

"Take him as your steed for now," he said, "I have given him a temporally life force that is enough for you to escape."

Kise nodded and got on the tiger just as the parents saw him.

"HEY!" shouted the father.

"RYOUTAAA!" screamed the mother but the two were on their way out, heading towards the freedom.

Kise silently spilled a tear as he could hear their cries but in truth, his parents didn't love him as much as they should have. But it was time…the time to leave. He couldn't stand it here anymore.

_I'm sorry, but…how can I love someone who doesn't genuinely care for me_ , thought the blond.

* * *

**Present Day: Sportsbrooke**

Kise sat down in his room and looked at the family photo he had (or rather he received from Theagenes). It was still painful that he had to run away from his family but he had to start a new life without them.

They weren't always this abusive to the animals, he thought, remembering some of the earlier days when the circus didn't grow corrupted.

Deep down he did miss them but there was no way he could go back there. When he lived in Sportsbrooke, he paid a certain price to Theagenes to get more information about his parents' issues. From what it turned out, the father was an alcoholic while the mother was born with strange visions and hallucinations and it wasn't until his departure when his "heart magic" healed them.

_The fact that I abandoned realized their troubles were too late_ , he thought.

Since his escape, he and the tiger traveled in the direction towards Sportsbrooke but the tiger only lasted about 3 days before its life force from Theagenes went out. All alone through the desert, the young boy had to rely on his magical copying abilities in order to survive. Various animals including snakes, rodents, and even birds helped him heighten his senses and lowered his bodily needs in order to survive the waterless world.

It was only about a few days later when he found a settlement with tall, golden grass where he saw a bunch of workers plowing through the area. Kise collapsed and was brought in to Katsunori, Alexandra and Daigo.

He had no regrets of leaving.

Kise got up and placed the photo down on his desk before returning to his duties for the city. However, one question was in his mind…what happened to Kei?

* * *

**Karasuno City**

Kei Tsukishima stood outside and watched the clouds rolling in. This was clearly an abnormal storm but was it a natural one…or could it really be?

_They're here_ , he thought, _the Suiei Gods._

After Kise disappeared from Kaijou, the family sent all of their resources to him in hopes to find their son. Kei was able to track down the blond to Sportsbrooke but was distracted on working with the volleyball district after hearing the stories of "Small Giant". Deciding that it wasn't worth to find Kise, he began his new life and prayed to never meet the parents again either.

But now here he is, an exile, all because of some misunderstandings and wrongful accusations. Sure, he knew something was wrong with Shouyou but he couldn't deny his leadership because he was able to survive thus so far.

_Maybe the Suiei Gods can help_ , he thought, _but if only I take them to my advantage of course. However...Shouyou has got his hands on that prince...I won't let him have that luxury for long._

For the first time in anyone's memory, rain fell.

* * *

Natsu sat in her room as she was locked inside and knowing that she unwittingly helped her brother into finding Prince Julius. She was already up in tears and blaming herself for all of this.

The sister grabbed a photo of her father when he was alive, looking heroic and promising for everyone.

_If only I had magic_ , she thought, _just something…_

She heard a couple of birds screeching right by the open window where two baby pied crows followed by a larger black crow.

"Oh my," she muttered and walked up to them. The black raven screeched and flew ontop of her shoulder, almost scaring her but the bird stayed calm.

"You're a good bird," she smiled.

Suddenly she could hear voices in the bird talking as if…

_Natsu, you have to hurry, the project is almost completed._

"E-eh!? But how can I even get out?" she asked, "And who are you?"

_"Never mind about me,"_ chirped the raven, " _The baby pied crows have found a key for you. And…since you too inherit Small Giant's jumping ability, use that to knock the unit up by the door."_

Natsu turned and wondered if it was true or not. She had to give it some try. She closed her eyes and lowered herself before jumping 5 feet high up, almost touching the latch. She was shocked at this but jumped one more time and finally grabbed hold of it, opening the latch to knock the door open.

"What is this key exactly?" she asked.

_"It's to get you to the control room of the Nuclear Center, hurry!"_ chirped the raven, _"The key will help you shut it all down!"_

Natsu nodded and silently fled through the halls, hoping to not make a commotion for her brother. With her jumping skills now activating, she was able to repel herself from the ground and fly at some speed.

* * *

Haruka, Nagisa, Midorima, and Kagami snuck into the city and made their way through the tight alleys and dark areas of the city. Gaardus flew nearby to make sure each of the proceeding areas were safe before signaling to the others.

"The city is nothing but rubble and mountains of ash," muttered Midorima.

Kagami readied his pistol while Haruka kept his Dolphin Razor sword at the ready. This new "operation" was going to be a challenging one unlike the last mission.

"I can hear several babies crying," said Nagisa, feeling a bit sicken, "And children that died here."

"You can detect the deceased?" asked Kagami.

"I have the ability to become one with the astral projection and release my soul out if I need to," he answered, "But usually the spirits come to me."

"Sounds painful, to meet those that died," said the taller man.

"It is but they are very helpful in our mission," smiled Nagisa.

"This way, hurry!" chirped Gaardus, "I think there's something going on that may be worth seeing!"

* * *

A bunch of people gathered at the entrance to the Chernobyl Towers where Shouyou presented the latest project of the Radioactive Crystal inside a container to keep its powers from spreading about.

"This crystal here will be used into attacking Sportsbrooke for destroying our legacy," he said, "They turned their backs on us, now the time is to strike. Our savior, Chernobyl Pripyat has been a great advisor to our needs."

Chernobyl floated next to him as the entity rubbed is hands on the glass, saying, "This prince will soon become your king."

Gaardus narrowed its eyes to detect the entity's presence and gasped at the sentience.

_This being isn't real…he's another carnation of the Dark One_ , thought the bird, _First it was Midorima and now it's Shouyou!_

"Gaardus-chan?" asked Nagisa quietly.

"Hush now," replied the bird, "I'm trying to listen."

"Thanks to the Project here at the reactors, we will soon begin Operation Danube," said the adviser.

The people grew in fascination as the crystal emitted black and red energy reactions. Shouyou reassured to the crowd that soon they will have everything they ever wanted.

Chernobyl flickered out of the way as the people began to crowd over to take a closer look at the crystal.

* * *

Back inside the fortress, Alexa walked through the halls as he tried to find his way out of here and finding Makoto, Rei, and Rin. However, the more he walked, the harder his headache struck.

_Something of this place, it's poisonous,_ he thought, _maybe it's that crystal's doing?_

He saw a massive doorway up ahead and walked over towards it where he saw two men talking in a conversation.

"So is it true that the Suiei Gods that were captured are still alive?" asked Tobio.

"From what I have seen," said Akira Kunimi, "The two that you brought here are in the chamber of darkness along with that man's partner."

Alexa gasped to himself as he realized that the others were indeed alive; but where was this 'Chamber of Darkness'?

"Well I don't think they'll last for much longer. Soon, the dust monsters will choke the air out of their lungs," replied Tobio, "I don't trust completely in Chernobyl but his ways so far have been useful."

"Do you think you can trust Shouyou?" asked Akira.

"I've known him for as long as we lived back in the days," replied Tobio, "And still no finding of Tooru?"

"Afraid not, he just like vanished that day and never returned; I think the desert killed him or something," shrugged Akira.

"Interestingly enough, he was a part of our lives even Shouyou's when we still lived happily back in the days," he answered, "I would never thought he'd just vanished into the blue."

Alexa tried to hear all of this but the radiation was making him collapse down. However, Natsu rushed in before he crashed and used her newfound strength to bring him safely before the others appeared at the doorway.

"Don't worry, your majesty," she whispered, "We'll get your teammates back."

**Episode 4 END**

* * *

**Episode 5 PV**

**Alexa:** I must find Rei-chan, Rin-chan, MAKO-CHAN!

**Haruka:** W-what is with this place?

**Nagisa:** The entire city is like ruins of rubble and ash!

**Gaardus:** That dark power is coming from the reactor! I have a feeling the others are inside!

**Natsu:** I promise, you guys will reunite!

**Rin:** W-WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!?

**Rei:** T-The nuclear...it's having a MELTDOWN!

**Makoto:** Next time, Free! **_Complication – Chernobyl Pripyat!,_** _we will not lose this battle! We'll reunite together and continue our journey to protect everyone!_ ** _  
_**

 


	6. Chapter 6

**_Episode 5:_ ** **_複雑_ ** **_-_ ** **_チェルノブイリプリピャチ_ ** **_!_ ** **_Complication – Chernobyl Pripyat!_ **

"運命と理解の、マジック神 美男子戦士, 水泳マロッタ！運命に代わって、お仕置きよ！"

(I am the Swimming Guardian who fights for Destiny and Understanding! I am Suiei Marotta! And now on behalf of fate, I'll punish you!)

* * *

I'm finally back! Thanks for the waiting! Now let's go kick some evil down, shall we!?

~AveraxMagna

* * *

**~Karasuno Chernobyl Reactors: Main Chamber**

Natsu brought Alexa towards the reactor since she knew that only his power could destroy the systems. Thankfully Shouyou was out giving to the crowd on a speech but she stopped when she saw Kei Tsukishima in the control rooms.

He turned around and smiled, "How lovely that your hopeful innocence still backfires on you."

She grunted and said, "How could you?! I thought…"

"The man you carry is the one to be blamed. And I must say you've done the hard work for me," he replied, "But apparently, the key is gone.

"But that won't matter."

He stretched out his hand, unleashing a blast of the crystal towards her, throwing her to the wall while Alexa collapsed to the ground and woke up slowly, realizing that the headache was gone but more danger was ahead. Natsu was pinned by some energy spikes that were a bit electrifying.

"Welcome, Prince Julius," said Kei, "I never thought we'd get to meet in person. As you can see, this is our lovely reactor that produces the Chernobyl Radioactive Crystal. Thought I must ask you to forgive me, the plans to invade Sportsbrooke was not meant to happen right away. Shouyou just wanted to make sure that you still existed.

"However, after we were exiled from the city, he met that mysterious power of Chernobyl who brought us to the ruins in the city safely. Otherwise we would've been eaten by the wolves or vaporized by the flaming sun."

"This has to stop!" said Alexa, "You're using the powers for the wrongful reasons! Don't you get how many lives will be lost if you destroy Sportsbrooke?!"

"Destruction? Says the one who planned to use the crystal to control our lives back during the ancient times. You're the one with the dangerous power of all time-space!" he replied as he turned the radioactive crystal in his hand into a dagger.

"That's not true!" he shouted but before he could get up, Kei unleashed two ghostly spiritual droids from the reactor and they grabbed Alexa, pinning him to the floor.

"I knew it. We should've never stepped into this cursed city," replied Kei, "But it kept us safe from all external threats but our insanity grew more intense over time. Our grateful leader has lost his mind completely and soon, we'll have nothing left but his laughter of his madness.

"But…with those powers you have, they should've never exist! You are a dreadful person and you have derailed our lives since the dawn of time!"

Kei soared up towards Alexa and shouted, "DIIEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

Alexa's eyes widened in fear as time slowed down, _M-me, d-dreadful man?_

His eye spill a silent tear as he watched the crystal heading to is chest, _It's all because I EXIST?!_

_Did my powers really cause the destruction of this land? Did my powers that I now awaken to, really caused all chaos? Is death really the option?_

The Dragon Crystal Brooch glowed as streams of light blinded Kei back, "Why can't I move dammit!? W-what is this light?!"

The small circle of light exploded from the brooch enveloped Alexa into the column of bright light as the world around his vision changed significantly.

* * *

_"Ohhh…this power is,"_ muttered Chernobyl as it floated in the darkness, _"A power that can extend beyond all realms!"_

"Indeed," echoed the voice of the Dark One, "This power is coming from the Legendary Solar Crystal of Destiny. I have placed a part of my essence into the boy now finally; he is part of our greater plans."

"Excellent," said Chernobyl, "Now that the small giant's son is completely ours, he will do our bidding."

* * *

Alexa opened his eyes as he saw a man floating just above him. He had the exact same hairstyle (but it was all white instead of dark brown) with the same eyes and wore the exact same cloak of white, yellow, and black fabrics.

"A-are you another me?" asked Alexa.

The man smiled with a nod, _"From another reality; I am going to assist you for this moment."_

Alexa nodded as the brooch glowed brighter, dispelling the droids away from him.

"W-what the hell is this!?" shouted Kei.

**_"You are the ones who are derailing everything…Black Crows!"_** shouted Alexa, standing up, **_"I won't let you do as you please anymore! This world is everyone's home!"_**

The light grew stronger, pushing Kei back and releasing Natsu from the electric chains. She watched in awe and shock as the powers from the man were incredibly powerful…as if it could change destiny.

"Incredible…" muttered Alexa, clutching the brooch to his chest, "This power flowing in me is far beyond my normal limits. I have to try to transform now while there's time!"

He raised the brooch up and shouted, **_"DRAGON CRYSTAL POWERRRRRRR, MAAAKKKEEEEEEE UP!"_**

The Dragon Brooch floated above Alexa as the background turned golden orange-yellow with glowing stars drifting around. His nails glowed yellow while a pair of wings grew from the brooch before it exploded into lights. Dragon scales grew from feet to the neck before it exploded out in his transparent form.

Raising his arms up, armor pads covered the upper limbs while the dragon scales formed over his chest, abs. They shed off, revealing his plates similar to his previous outfit. However, the design was slightly more ornate and ancient looking to his previous life.

The same golden-yellow majestic cape grew from the armor and the white loose pants with armor boots with new decorated dragon designs on. The Golden Julius Suiei Necklace kept the same heart shaped locket now that his dual identity was established. His sword appeared to his buckle inside the sheath.

Lastly, his helmet with a scarf covering from behind appeared, looking more like a prince than a warrior.

He spun around with his Dragon Kopis Sword at the ready, opening his eyes to see his enemy stunned at the sight before him.

Alexa grunted as his eyes narrowed with determination; he had to find the others while there was still time!

"H-he transformed!" gasped Kei, "That's impossible! Even with the power of the Radioactive Crystal?!"

The Suiei God ignored him as he closed his eyes and muttered, "Where are they? Where is this Chamber of Darkness?"

He lowered himself to the floor and rested his right palm hand on across the tile, concentrating his senses through his Solar Crystal.

The light of the crystal descended through the floor for about a mile or so below. Moments later, he felt three impulses of heartbeats, realizing that they were there.

"Found them!" he muttered, "Rei…Rin…MAKOTO! Please, wake up! All of you!"

His hand glowed bright light as the floor cracked around him. Tobio walked in to see this happening and gasped at the powers unleashed.

* * *

**Below ground…**

The warmth of the light shined on Makoto, Rei, and Rin and the trio opened their eyes slowly. Neither of them noticed a group of dust entities that were about to pull them away from each other. Rei and Rin were shocked to where they were at after they recalled from the fight but were happy to see Makoto at least.

"I saw you guys but both of you were still unconscious!" said Makoto.

"It must be the energy of this dark place but this light…" replied Rin.

"Alexa…?" asked Rei, "That strong light of his…"

"I can feel his power," agreed Makoto.

"Where are you, Alexa?!" shouted Rin.

"What do we have to do?" asked Rei.

"All of you, transform! I'll give you guys a hand!" echoed Alexa as his hand of light shined brighter on them, dispelling the dust monsters that almost surrounded them unknowingly.

The trio raised out their Animal Star Dagger Wands and shouted out:

**_"SHARK STAR POWERRRRRR!"_ **

**_"BUTTERFLY STAR POWERRRRR!"_ **

**_"ORCA STAR POWERRRRRR!"_ **

**_"MAAAAKKEEEEE UP!"_ **

Makoto grabbed the dagger (his nails turned green) which caused all of muscles across his Posterior Deltoids, Teres Major, Latissimus Dorsi, Oblique Abdominals, Triceps, and the Thoracolumbar Fascia in great definition. Stretching and flexing them amplified his new strength unleashed.

Rin twirled as his red turban with loose flaps that contained blue-yellow stripes appeared on his head. His cloak was black and red with a white vest undergarment beneath. Raising his hands up, he donned a pair of golden cuffs and his malia bee pendant mixed with his Suiei Necklace.

Rei spun around as his red glasses transformed into sliver frames as his lower half of the body morphed out a white pair of loose pants and black shoes. The sash finally formed in multi colors of black, red, and purple where he had his Butterfly Long Riffle attached to his back.

Makoto clasped his hands together as an explosion of electricity and water flowed through his body. Stretching his hands out, he donned a two-layer green outfit with a black-white stripes on his left side. Raising up his left leg, his pants were cream colored with canvas colored shoes that covered his feet.

Waving out his hands in the butterfly stroke motion, Rei donned the black sleeves and the golden cuffs on his elbows. The butterflies fused together to form his red turban with the white feather on top before it gently was placed on his head.

At the same moment the waters swirled around Rin's lower half before revealing his white lose pants with a buckle that donned his Metallic Shark Sword in a green sheath. He opened his eyes with a soft smirk on his face as a pair of black shoes covered his feet.

Makoto opened his eyes with a smile as his innocent-like expression was hidden with a badass attitude that knows no bounds; ready to face off the enemy. He grabbed the vase and readied himself.

Rin crossed his arms together in his boss-like pose at an angle with a wider smirk by showing his shark teeth.

Rei opened his eyes and readied on his weapon with an all-out ready narrowed expression as if he was ready to fire.

* * *

**Outside:**

Shouyou turned to see the bright lights of purple, red and green with sparks of energy flowing out from the reactor center. Several audience members gasped at the sight while Gaardus's eyes widened.

"Rei-chan…Mako-chan…Rin-chan…" whispered Nagisa.

Haruka widened his eyes as he could feel Alexa's power flowing nearby. Kagami and Midorima also recognized the powers being unleashed.

"It's Alexa!" gasped Midorima, "He must have found them!"

"We have to go now!" said Kagami, "This is our chance to break in before they start to get chaotic!"

* * *

Back inside the reactor, the floor between Alexa and Kei exploded as Rei, Rin, and Makoto emerged from the ground before they jumped back and stood side by side together. Each of them were having unimpressed looks at their enemy before them; Kei and Tobio were stunned.

"So this must be the power of the Solar Crystal," muttered Natsu, "The power to transcend all of time and space?"

"This power is far greater than we expected," said Tobio, analyzing the four Suiei Gods.

Kei was at loss of words here but Shouyou arrived in and replied, "It is indeed a power that is unforgivable to those that have used it. That power should have never existed."

Alexa's body glowed again but this time his eyes were glowing a sickly red before he answered in a deeper voice, **_"ALL OF YOU! LISTEN UP!"_**

Everyone gasped as Julius's voice took over Alexa, **_"The Legendary Solar Crystal of Destiny is meant to protect the lives of everyone by defending peace! This power is what brings life, happiness, and love. If neither of you have been manipulated by that ancient evil, there would have NEVER been a catastrophe to this world! Everyone could still be living together! Please listen to your words right now; you're being controlled by the Radioactive Chernobyl Crystal!"_**

As astral image of Julius floated side by side with Alexa during the speech while Rei recognized the outfits that matched Alexa after he first awakened.

"Alexa…" muttered Makoto.

"No, it can't be!" gasped Rin.

"It's Prince Julius's conscious!" replied Rei.

"Ah…Prince Julius…" said Shouyou, lowing his head, "That's where you're wrong. That power has drawn people like us to become hungry for control! It is the source that caused all of war that led to the demise Olympia Magna upon the cataclysmic apocalypse!"

Chernobyl appeared again behind Shouyou and added, "That is correct. Now then…show them the power of your crystal…use it!"

"You cannot defeat us!" replied Alexa, "Not as long as we believe! And I won't you won't get the crystal either!"

The four charged at the trio, readying their magic:

"ORCA ACIIIIIDDDD SPLASSHHHH!" shouted Makoto, unleashing the acid from his vase.

"STORMYYYYY, MANDALAAAA!" cried Rei, creating a cluster of thunderstorms in a magical circle.

"MEDLEEEYYYYY, FLIPPPPPING BLASSST!" chanted Rin, firing water slash attacks.

The trio mixed their powers together but the Radioactive Crystal from Shouyou blocked the powers from even getting to close proximity. He then unleashed waves of power that paralyzed the four to the ground.

No one noticed Natsu who had the key from the raven, getting up and going to the emergency shut down switch. She could hear the raven's voice telling her to use the key to shut down the radioactive center permanently.

Tobio turned his head and gasped but he was too late; Natsu turned the switch off as well as breaking the key to keep the remaining half inside. The building began to crack and crumble but Shouyou didn't notice it happening as he was locked into the dark magic.

Alexa's hand barely touched his necklace which caused a laser light firing at Shouyou's head, knocking him down to the ground as the power broke off from them.

"We have to get out of here!" said Alexa.

"But how?" asked Rei, as he and the others narrowly dodged the falling rubble from the ceiling.

"DAMMIT!" shouted Makoto, "We won't make it out!"

"Oh yes we will!" replied Alexa, touching his necklace again to call upon the space time key, "Daigo…please lend me your power of time…"

"W-wait is that?!" gasped Rin.

Alexa raised the key up as the two astral images of Julius and that same "White-haired man" floated behind him.

* * *

Kagami, Midorima, Haruka, and Nagisa rushed through the ruins of the Miyagi Palace when they felt the world shaking around them. Midorima pointed out to one of the reactors beginning to crumble apart.

"SHIT!" gasped Kagami.

"This is very bad; it's a nuclear meltdown!" said Midorima, "It's going to cause extensive damage to the city if no one evacuates!"

Before the others could act, a wave of light swept through them. At the scene, they saw the others watching Alexa summoning the key as two spirited beings floated by his side.

"Who is that white-haired guy?" asked Makoto.

"I know that one of them has got to be Julius but is there two of them?" asked Rin.

* * *

"Daigo, GET US OUT OF HERE!" shouted Alexa, raising the key as it glowed orange waves radiating out, escaping themselves and Natsu from the scene of danger.

Chernobyl unleashed its tentacles to grab the Magic Six, shouting, "YOU WILL NOT ESCAPE MEEEEEEE!"

The tentacles failed to grab them as the team vanished into the light. Shouyou shouted for Natsu but was dragged out of the room with Tobio and the others as the alarms went through the facility to get the people evacuated.

* * *

The civilians outside screamed in horror as they saw one of the nuclear power plants beginning to suffer a meltdown. Many of them began to flee in an uncontrolled evacuation from the city led by various groups of people who randomly volunteered to get them out.

Shouyou, Tobio, Kei joined up with Lev, Tetsurou, and Ryuunosuke during the evacuation as they were trying to put all the pieces of events together.

"Y-your sister had the KEY!?" gasped Lev and Ryuunosuke.

"Not only that but the key somehow broke when she turned the switch and we have no idea what even caused the meltdown!" said Shouyou.

"I'm telling you, that city is cursed," replied Tetsurou, "We shouldn't have went there!"

"Are you trying to detest me?" growled the orange-hair as he prepared a blast ready.

"Shouyou, STOP IT!" shouted Tobio as he grabbed his arm, "We understand your frustration to the whole fiasco but this is clearly out of hand! We'll take different measures in revenge to Akashi and the Generation of Miracles."

"And the Magic Six," he finished, "They got away and they're probably going to warn the citizens of Sportsbrooke!"

They continued to run with the crowds as they headed down south. Thankfully, Hajime and Akira had saved some maps and compasses from a while back and were giving people directions to head down south east towards the location of Aobajousi where it as known for its massive desert swamp.

"But that's insane! We'll never make it there!" shouted one of the people, "The desert sands will kill us!"

"Would you rather stay here and get poisoned?!" argued one of the other civilians, "Or mutated!?"

Far behind, the nuclear reactor finally exploded as waves of the contamination spread out. Thankfully, the population managed to escape but now it was all total chaos on where they could go to. Their only home left was not destroyed by the radiation and anyone or anything left was going to suffer serious conditions.

* * *

**The Golden Grain Fields**

Daigo raised up his Time-Turner Staff (created after finally accepted his powers and to move on from his past) which unleashed a magnetic sphere of light floating above before the reunited Magic Six, Gaardus, Kagami, Natsu, and Midorima returned to the scene where Daigo, Alexandra, Katsunori, Kuroko, and the others waiting for them.

"You guys made it!" smiled Alexandra.

"We're back!" nodded Nagisa.

"NAGISACCHI!" cried Kise happily.

"Ki-chan!" replied the other blond.

The two teams embraced a hug of happiness while the Magic Six couples shared their romantic kisses for each other.

"I was so worried!" said Alexa, hugging Makoto tightly.

"I'm sorry to have worried you, my love," he said while touching Alexa's face before sharing another kiss.

"I'm sorry for what I've said earlier," said Haruka quietly to Rin, "But we do have to tell them soon."

"We will, once we figure out how to end the feud that is," he answered.

"Rei-chan! I'm so glad you're okay!" cried Nagisa happily.

"It's good to be back," he nodded as he and the blond embraced a hug though the latter pecked a kiss on the cheek.

Natsu smiled for a little but then her expression grew worried for her brother. She realized that they were all back out in the desert and here she was by the outskirts of Sportsbrooke.

"How did you get that key, Alexa?" asked Makoto.

"I gave it to him after you guys received your new powers," said Daigo, "This key was the thing brought me to this world after I was exiled…but I figured it was best to give in order to keep a "point location". It was then placed inside the Dragon Brooch in the event he would need to use it."

"Where's Akashi?!" asked Natsu, feeling a bit panicked, "I have to speak to him!"

Alexa turned to her as her face began to tear up "Please! Have mercy! I can't lose my brother!"

Akashi appeared from the other Vorpal Swords members as he gasped to see her still alive after this entire time. She rushed up to him and begged on her knees, "Please help me! Onii-chan has fallen to the darkness! You casted us out from the city but please, at least use your power to save him!"

"…I…I'm sorry," said Akashi, "For casting you all away. I have spoken to my teammates here and we agree to help you bring everyone back. However, we cannot determine who enemy is here; that's why I exiled everyone out and wiped any traces of volleyball here.

"But we can bring this all back."

Natsu calmed down a little and continued, "Onii-chan has met someone…who promised him of an evil power; that power known to be the Chernobyl Radioactive Crystal. He plans to use it to destroy this city entirely but the reactors are destroyed now thanks to the powers of the Legendary Solar Crystal."

"Sounds like we'll have a mass reunion," said Kuroko, "Of our lost friends. We have been facing tons of protest in the city as the remaining people who were once volleyball players were begging for rights and were doing some violent demonstrations. However, with you here, they will know your reputation and your symbol of hope."

"I see," she nodded, "But still! I have to return to Onii-chan and save him!"

"We will, but let's get the city some hope they deserve," replied Murasakibara, "The protesting has to calm down."

"Once it's done, you can use the time key to return to the desert," said Daigo.

Natsu nodded and the group began their way to Sportsbrooke.

* * *

**Flashback: The Exile of Haikyuu! from Sportsbrooke, Part 1: The Race to Power!**

_2 Years before the Dark Curse took effect…_

The megacity of Sportsbrooke was still undergoing various renovations and improvement projects to maintain the larger population. However, there was one major problem: there was no "official leader" to represent the city. Everyone trusted on each other and had no need for exact enforcement or rules.

But that was all about to change…when a group of people from the Karasuno district had the "Small Giant's children" whose reputation grew when they formed teams of their own thanks to their friends.

"We have helped the community for great lengths!" said Shouyou as he and Natsu were at a podium handing out a speech, "We are more than grateful to extend our aid to the entire city and become the prime minister!"

The audience cheered happily for several moments before the son continued, "After losing our father several years ago, my sister and I had to rely on each other and our friends. It has not always been an easy one, but we shared our father's dream and now we can expand it to further lengths. We have wonderful scientists and activists that will help spread our contributions to the city."

Of course, this was all being recorded live by the broadcasting GMS and other local news portals.

* * *

In another area of the city, Akashi ran his campaign as he revealed to the audience about how his father himself was once a politician and knows exactly how much responsibility it took to take control of their little village.

After he was done, he and the other GoMs sat down together under an open-tent.

"This isn't good," said Akashi, "Despite my father's experience; he has not really taught me much. I had to learn lots of this on my own as well as reading ancient texts about the long-ago governments."

"Times have indeed changed," agreed Aomine, "Unless maybe…"

"If the other team has something up their sleeve…like something bad, maybe we can pinpoint them out," suggested Midorima.

"Yeah!" agreed Kise, "We'll be able to call them out and then all the votes will head for you Akashicchi!"

"True but we must be careful on how we are going to approach that, they're going to look for flaws in us too," replied the red-haired.

The Takao bird flew in the scene as Midorima transformed it back to his human form.

"Any word?" asked Midorima.

"Nothing much Shin-chan," he replied, hugging him from behind, "I have a feeling that team has something up their sleeve though."

"We'll have to investigate more about that now, won't we?" said the green-haired.

* * *

Kei Tsukishima walked through the Underground Reservoir with a handful of other scientists. Ever since the discovery of the mysterious fluid hidden in one of the pockets of the reservoir, they began to collect samples of it and tried to perform various testing.

Some of the testing materials they used caused things to transform while destroying others. Kenma, Yuu, and Tooru were also present in the chamber while the former found an ancient textbook back from the Sportsbrooke library that perfectly matched the description of the liquid.

"So they called this, Energized Protodermis?" asked Tooru.

"That's what the people were saying back in the ancient times…according to what it was written," said Kenma, "The Dark One must have used this substance to destroy the original homeland."

"So if this can make unique things for us…what should we do with it?" asked Yuu.

Tooru took out a deflated volleyball and with a shrug, dipped it in. It sizzled with a hiss for a few seconds before it splashed out into a normal looking volleyball but with spikes and thorns grown.

"Well that's kinda a waste there," shrugged Kenma.

"Not quite, maybe if I dip this again," said Tooru, carefully kicking it back into the pool but after a few seconds it vaporized.

"Now you wasted it," sighed Yuu.

"We cannot tell anyone about this," replied Kei, "This must be a secret between us four. Not even Shouyou must know about this."

"Why not?" asked Tooru.

"Well seeing that he's doing so well on his campaign, we can't jeopardize his opportunity to lead the city," he answered.

* * *

**Later:**

Takao sat down on a bench outside with Midorima with a sigh, saying, "Why am I always stuck in the middle of all of this?"

"You volunteered yourself," replied the green-haired megane.

"And how about you? Any clues to your family?" asked Takao.

"Nothing new other than I have possible relatives that might have ties to the Suiei Gods," he shrugged, "But that's more of a wives tale."

"I see," smiled Takao, "Then I guess we can spend some time together today! How about a day's trip to The Flats? Or maybe even one of the theaters?!"

Midorima was staring at something ahead and narrowed his eyes. Takao immediately realized that he was observing something suspicious. They both saw a group of people dressed in white lab coats of some sort but the megane didn't recognized those people as "Official Scientists".

"Maybe they're just cosplayers?" asked Takao.

"I got a bad feeling about this," he replied as he transformed Takao to his bird form, "Go after them."

Takao soared off while Midorima turned to his headpiece and spoke to Akashi, "Hey I think I saw some group of people in lab coats that were carrying some sort of cargo."

"Are you sure it's not the scientists from Sportsbrooke Medicine or Clinic?" asked Akashi.

"Those guys have slightly different uniforms than these people," he answered, "I sent Takao to go investigate."

* * *

**Sportsbrooke Ancient Shrine**

Kuroko sat down alone in the temple at the sacred fire, praying silently and hoping for some answers he could receive. After discovering his phantom abilities ages ago, he had used it for making narrow escapes from danger. However, a second power began to develop in his body; the ability to see things (i.e. future).

He turned to see Akashi, "Everything alright?"

"I'm here to speak with you," he replied, "And perhaps teaching you about your powers."

After a few minutes of conversation, Kuroko and Akashi linked their hands together in order to try to see the future of the city, hoping to get some answers. Seconds later, their vision around them changed as they found themselves below ground where a group of these "so-called" scientists were observing the silvery fluid before making them into weapons and explosives to destroy Sportsbrooke from the inside out.

Moments later, a blast of light struck their vision, forcing them to jump back a little.

"N-no…" gasped Akashi before growling, "It can't be!"

"Sp-Sportsbrooke? Being destroyed?" asked Kuroko.

"Worse than that," he answered, "Didn't you recognized that silvery fluid? It's what Midorima found out from the research! It's the same liquid that destroyed the old world!"

"But how can we be certain about that?" asked Kuroko, "These are only just riddles and dreams. We need solid evidence too!"

"Well that's where we are going to need to get the others involved…we have to reunited forces Kuroko if I am going to become the leader of this city. We can't let Shouyou and their crew take this town!" he replied.

"And what about teaching me?" asked Kuroko.

"Oh, well because I have the Emperor Eye and I noticed that you also have it but it's not quite advanced enough. I think I should teach you how to use it so you can be my adviser," he smiled.

* * *

**Golden Creation Shop**

The "Wise Master" was busy hammering down his latest project when Theagenes walked into the scene, "I sense magic here."

"I-I'm sorry?" asked the Wise Master.

"You," said Theagenes, "What kind of magic is this?"

"I just create things…" replied the other being, "And you know about magic?"

"Well I'm sure you've heard of me, right?" asked Theagenes.

"Of course, but I never thought I'd see the Dark Magician enter to this holy place," replied the Wise Master, "Get out."

"Oh I see," replied Theagenes, "Well you can just create an exit for me then. I will not leave this spot until I receive the proper payment."

"What do you want?" growled the other entity.

"Rumors were spreading about a particular fluid hidden beneath the Reservoir of this land where the water supply is held at," said Theagenes, "And since I've heard you were known to be a Master of Creation, I wanted to see if you can be a part of the hand."

"For what?" he asked.

"Why assisting of course…we need someone who can provide some…thing to hold…containers for example but not just any containers," replied Theagenes, "I already know where you are from and back in your realm, the Great Beings had something that contained it…"

"Energized Protodermis…?" asked the Wise Master, "Just how is it possible that it made to this realm?"

"That seems like the question of the day," said Theagenes, "Perhaps the Dark One knows about your realm's cataclysm and used it to shatter the happiness of this world.

"Think about it: Spherus Magna shattered its own in the pieces of Bara Magna, Aqua Magna and Bota Magna. However it was restored by Mata Nui and its befitting Princess…"

"QUEEN," growled the Mask Maker, taking out his war hammer, "She is QUEEN of our realm! If I were you, I'd stay out of that business! Unless you know of what happened to their child!"

"Actually I can…if you want to pay the price," said Theagenes, "You'll have to help me."

The two made their way to the Reservoir where Kei waited for them.

"I have what you asked," said Theagenes, "Someone who can craft a container used to hold this dangerous substance. However…my price?"

"Fine," replied Kei as he handed the Dark Magician his price; the master plan project of this liquid.

"My, my, how intriguing," he answered as he looked at the master plan. "Sounds like we'll have to get to work now, shall we?"

None of them noticed the black raven hidden nearby who then soared away, heading back to the surface.

* * *

**Sportsbrooke Police Station A**

Takao arrived at the station and was able to transform back to his human self where he saw Midorima waiting for him.

"You already talked to Kousuke?" asked Takao.

"Actually I was talking to Izuki," he replied, "He said that once you got here we would have a meeting with the others."

"The others?"

"Kuroko, Akashi, us…the Generation of Miracles," said Midorima.

"Ah," replied Takao, "I just can't believe how after high school, we sort of separated our ways living our lives until now these 'political crap parties' are trying to take power to this city."

"I am honestly not thrilled about them but the population is continuing to grow and we need leaders," answered Midorima, "I know Akashi is truly suitable for the city."

"Even if he does win, how can we even be trusted?" asked Takao, "If the power of his eye…"

"That is just something we have to keep as a secret," shrugged Midorima as they headed inside.

* * *

**Present Day: Downtown Sportsbrooke**

A bunch of people were protesting again at the Miracle Palace; holding flags of the remaining Karasuno District and messages of mercy, threats and other crazy things.

Koutarou Bokuto and Wakatoshi Ushijima stood at the steps as they were both trying to rally further for the people to cry out louder when the palace began to glow.

Moments later, the Magic Six stood with the Vorpal Swords and Natsu, the daughter of Small Giant. The people in the audience gasped and finally grew silent.

"People of the Karasuno District and those who were of the volleyball," said Akashi, "I have failed to be a leader of this city for the last few years. All of our actions were only advantaging the basketball or anyone who were non-volleyball supports, players etc. Standing with us here, Natsu, the daughter of the Small Giant has returned to us with an important message in regards to the exiles."

Natsu was a bit nervous on what to say but she knew deep down this was the only chance to give the people hope. She stepped to the podium and said, "Everyone; we are all very much alive. We were never forgotten by you all. Our journey through the deserts were tough but my brother was determined to find a new home for us. However, he lost his way and met someone of an evil force that brought us to the ancient Karasuno City."

"Wait, you mean the one with the Miyagi Palace?!" shouted one of the guys.

"Yes," she answered, "The place that was home to the Nuclear Power Plant which has been recently destroyed in a meltdown. Thankfully we have escaped the worst possibility but my brother has been falling into the darkness. This evil force has changed my brother and we have to get him back to the hero that he once was!"

"And that is why," said Akashi, "We are going to bring everyone back!"

The audience finally cheered happily and the red-haired continued, "With our allies, The Magic Six, they will continue to fight evil with us and with a strength in numbers; we'll be able to reunite you all to the people that were sent out from this land."

The people roared even happier as they all gave a round of applause to the Magic Six, knowing that they have been helpful so far in the city and now one of the bigger issues will finally be resolved.

"Akashi," replied Alexa, "I want to speak."

"Go ahead," he smiled.

Alexa took to the podium and added, _"People of Sportsbrooke, it has been a project so far but we are very grateful to help you all. Our parents were here years ago and they tried to make peace but the project did not go too well on their behalf. Please give us a chance to save your family and friends and we can establish a new era together. Thank you!"_

"MAGIC SIX! MAGIC SIX!" shouted several of the people.

"FOR KARASUUUUUNNNNOOOO!" shouted a bunch of others.

* * *

"So it has begun…" growled Chernobyl Pripyat, still being mysterious and wearing a cloak to hide its true form, "The Magic Six have intervene once again. They destroyed my reactor…they blasted my subjects out to the desert…and Shouyou has not yet launch his attack.

_"However…I know that you'll come back to me…along with the Legendary Solar Crystal…muahahahaaaaa!"_

* * *

The Magic Six returned to the Golden Grain fields with Kuroko, Akashi, and Aomine this time. The other Vorpal Swords were busy helping the protesters to calm down and begin a restoration project for the Karasuno District.

Daigo waited at the front door of the Lynwin Mansion while Katsunori and Alexandra were busy inside with the farmers.

"Thank you again for giving me this key," said Alexa, "Are you sure that you don't need this back?"

"I'm going to move on from my past," replied Daigo, "I know deep down, my brother…the one who died will forgive me. As for your father Rin…I don't know if I will ever see him again. I'm sorry to have you know the truth about our family."

"I'm glad you have decided to not take vengeance," said Rin, "But if he's still alive when I return to home, I'll…"

"Actually it's best that you don't say anything, please," answered the older man, "Besides you're going to need this key to return back to the desert."

Rin nodded before turning around with Alexa to see the others. Rin walked up and asked the phoenix, "Gaardus, can you work with this key to get us back to the volleyball gang?"

"I should be able to," squeaked the bird, "Since we're not using my earring, this key will be another means of transportation. But it can only take us anywhere across this world; not dimensional hopping."

"I hope onii-chan is going to be alright," said Natsu, "I can't lose him!"

Makoto looked to her eyes and recalled that same sadness when Midorima lost Takao during his dark time as Black Kurorima. He walked up to her and said, "We won't lose anyone anymore. We'll do what we can to help him."

"That's right!" agreed Rin, "We are a team now and the more people we have, the better we'll win!"

"We'll prepare everything when you all return," said Akashi, "Good luck."

Natsu took the key and turned to Gaardus while raising it up, saying, "O time-space key, please bring us back to onii-chan!"

The key glowed again as Gaardus linked its power to his own, transferring the Magic Six and Natsu back to the desert.

* * *

**Back on the western reaches of the desert:**

Shouyou, Kei, Tobio, Lev, Tetsurou, and Ryuunosuke managed to lead a fragment group of people that were willing to continue to put their trust into their leader. A bunch of others have decided to take their trail to the Northeast towards the Mountain Northern Villages of the Crescent Spikes.

"What happened to your sister?" asked Tetsurou.

"…I don't know," said Shouyou softly, keeping himself bitter and dark as possible.

"…Shouyou, this isn't like you," said Tobio, "You used to be constantly worried about your sister and…"

"I. STILL. AM!" he growled, "Don't you see!? Because of Julius's rebirth and the Magic Six destroying the reactors, she is gone! They KILLED the last OF MY FAMILY!"

"You don't know that!" said Lev, finally having enough of this, "Shouyou! I know you! The good you would never take any offers from a stranger like that! What made you say yes to his offer? To this Chernobyl dude?!"

"...I wish I could tell you," answered Shouyou, "But…I am forbidden to share."

"You can tell us…or me anything," said Tobio, "We won't let you suffer anymore! Just listen to us!"

_You are forbidden to tell them what the deal was…o son of the Small Giant_ , echoed Chernobyl's voice inside Shouyou's head.

"If I tell you…Chernobyl's power on me will destroy me," he replied, "…I'm sorry. Let's continue our journey and plan what we will do next."

The others remained silent while Shouyou's heart finally felt something wrong about all of this. Did his sister really survived the nuclear meltdown? Why did he lead these people around?

_It's far better to be feared than to be loved_ , he thought, _I'm sorry Natsu…_

**~Episode 5 END~**

* * *

**~Episode 6 PV~**

**Makoto:** We can't let the Black Crows fight anymore!

**Rei:** Like they're going to believe us!

**Alexa:** We will! We just have to show them our magic can be beneficial!

**Natsu:** I'll do whatever it takes to convince everyone to join us!

**Rin:** You honestly remind me of my sister Gou.

**Haruka:** Hey, I see some guys up ahead! Who are they?

**Sou Inuoka** : Next time, Free! _**Hidden Agenda – Chernobyl Pripyat**_

**Takanobu Aone:** We love our Shouyou but we'll fight to save him too!

**Hajime Iwaizumi:** You idiots can't fight without me! I know some secrets too! **  
**

**Narrator:** Stay tuned to see these three guys make their debut!


	7. Chapter 7

**Episode 6:** 思惑 - **_チェルノブイリプリピャチ_** ** _!_** **Hidden Agenda – Chernobyl Pripyat**

* * *

フリースタイルとリレーの、マジック神 美男子戦士, 水泳七瀬！水の中で自分自身を消すとあなたの罪を悔い改め！

(I am the Swimming Guardian who fights for Freestyle and Relays! I am Suiei Nanase! Douse yourself in water and repent your sins!)

* * *

Daigo's Key brought the Magic Six and Natsu back in the Olympus Desert on a series of sand dunes. Gaardus screeched and used its pilot vision to find any traces or tracks of people walking nearby.

"So where do we go?" asked Natsu.

"It seems we weren't teleported exactly back," said Nagisa.

"Well could it be because the reactor was having the meltdown and our powers knew better?" replied Rei.

Gaardus returned to the scene and flapped its wings to show a visual of the power plant now nothing more but of a mess of the Corium and radiation pouring all over the abandoned city.

"We have no idea how far it will spread though," said Gaardus, "Best we stay away from there."

"Right," nodded Makoto.

"Well if we're going to find your brother, we might as well start walking," said Haruka.

Natsu nodded and replied, "I'm sorry to have troubled all of you."

"Oh no, it's not your fault!" answered Rin, "It's our duty to help the people in this world settle their problems…at least the major ones."

"Thank you," she smiled.

* * *

Sou Inuoka sat down on a rock and tore off his cloak; the sunlight and the heat in this desert was making him a bit dehydrated. He realized that he should've joined one of the fragment groups but he sort of knew where he was going in order to find some oasis.

_It's just the matter how much longer I'll survive_ , he thought, _and it's getting shorter._

He was ready to lay down when he suddenly felt a sprinkle of water on his face. Sou got up violently but gasped to see Natsu along with the group of men that Shouyou described as enemies.

"W-What!? Natsu?!" he shouted, "You're alive?!"

"She rushed up to him and answered, "It's alright. The Magic Six are not our enemies! They can help us save my brother!"

"I…" he began when he looked at the team and noticed how close they were. It reminded him how he was close to Shouyou and the other guys back in Sportsbrooke before their exile.

"…I'm sorry I failed you," said Sou, "I wanted to help but…Shouyou was really becoming too dangerous for me and him to go near."

"Again, it's not your fault," she smiled, "We will win this battle! What happened to Takanobu?"

"I haven't seen him," he shrugged, "I did see him evacuate the city but he might have joined a fragment group or something…"

"Perhaps I can be of some help," said Gaardus as he landed down between the two.

"A-a bird?!" asked Sou, "And it talks?"

"Gaardus is a Phoenix!" replied the bird.

The Magic Six chuckled with a nervous sweat drop for a moment and Gaardus flapped his wings to create a hologram globe of Olympia.

"Ah, this will do," said Sou, touching the image and using his knowledge on the maps he made. He grabbed his small sack and took out a paper map copy and noticed that it was about 96% accurate compared to the globe.

"So what was your job?" asked Nagisa.

"Oh I make maps. Well more like I was forced to make maps but Takanobu had this really awesome compass that was able to point north and had other unique features that allowed us to make these maps available to our people," he explained, "Shouyou wanted us to make many copies of these as possible while we still lived in the ruined city."

"And what did you guys used them for?" asked Rei.

"Finding locations in other places to spread the power of the Chernobyl Crystal," he answered, "I was against it but we were forced to make them or else be mutated or worse."

"The reactor is no more because of my power," said Alexa.

"That's good," smiled Sou, "I was getting sick of that wicked experiment and I knew that your powers was going to undo all of it."

"How so?" asked Makoto.

"I overheard Shouyou talking to this weird being…the one who crafted us the Chernobyl crystal," he answered.

"The Dark One?" asked Rin.

"Not so, but someone probably allied to him," shrugged Sou.

"When we confronted them at the reactor," said Rin, "We saw this strange, creepy being dressed in a cloak and had some clawed hands."

"Yes, it was that being there," answered Sou, "He's got some wicked magic and I believed it was that being that turned Shouyou's vengeance darker and darker."

"So if we defeat that monster, will we be able to save onii-chan?" asked Natsu.

"Well I hope so," he replied, "Shouyou's better than this; I know he's still inside that darkness."

* * *

The group traveled their way through the desert while Sou and Gaardus worked together on mapping out the pathway. Thankfully there wasn't any sandstorms yet during this but the heatwave was incredibly warm. With their magic, the Rin and Rei made water bottles with Gaardus's supplies and handed them over to the others.

"Thanks Rei-chan," smiled Nagisa.

"Thank you," nodded Haruka.

"Hey look, I think we are getting closer to one of the dots!" squeaked Gaardus, "Is it heading this way?"

Sou looked at the sand dune up ahead and finally saw a person with short white hair with a very grim-like expression (almost like Haru's).

"A-Aone-san!?" shouted Sou.

"Eh? Who's he?" asked Makoto.

"One of my friends who was also worked with me on the mapping!" he answered.

Takanobu Aone looked up to see the Magic Six and Sou and walked a little faster before running. He and Sou embraced a hug on the reunion.

"I'm so glad you're alright!" said Sou.

"You know it takes a lot to break me," replied Aone.

The two turned to the Magic Six as Aone continued, "Welcome Magic Six. I've heard of your legend as well and I wanted to say thank you for breaking the problems in the city. However, we have a long way to go in order to repair the ties to the others in Sportsbrooke."

"Well this is what Akashi and the Generation of Miracles said, they want to reunite again but they want us to go defeat the monstrosity that affected Shouyou to the dark side," replied Alexa.

"By fighting against Chernobyl?" asked Aone, "The monstrosity is not gonna be easy to defeat, even with the Solar Crystal."

"How so?" asked Rei.

"If this Dark Magic is what appears to be what it is…the only way to save Shouyou…is by an act of true love," he answered.

Makoto gasped a little as he recalled this type of magic from his family long ago; that true love can either be with a destined partner or by a family member.

"Sounds like it's my mission then," said Natsu, "I care for my brother but how will I be able to save him?"

"Something from the heart of the giver must go to the one afflicted by the curse or darkness," answered Makoto, "By a kiss or words…or something that means to the other person."

"So it seems either something precious of Shouyou or a kiss?" shrugged Sou.

Natsu kept silent while the Magic Six tried to figure this mystery out when Gaardus screeched, "Time to go!"

"What's going on?" asked Nagisa.

"Something eerie is heading our way!" replied the Phoenix.

* * *

**East Hawakoto Coastline, Aqua Duniya**

Nao sat down on the wooden platform as he waited for the boat to return. It was another day of work as a seafarer when he sort of fell and nearly twisted his ankle. Thankfully, the magic in the realm managed to reverse it but he still felt a bit of pain.

"Yo, Nao!" shouted a voice.

He turned to see Shiina and waved out. The salmon-pink haired man walked over, "Are you alright?"

"Meh, just a twist of the ankle but thankfully the magic from the royal family healed it mostly. I'm just taking a break," he replied.

"I got lots of great stuff thanks to you and your crews. I hope to get a lot of venue this time thanks to the festival!" said Shiina.

"How are the brothers?" asked Nao.

"Oh…Natsuya is just helping out Seijuurou at the facility while Ikuya is out hunting by himself," shrugged Shiina.

"Are you sure that it's a good idea for him to go solo?" asked the light-violet haired man.

"Well one of the Water Knights, I think it was Momotarou was going to be watching him from afar," he answered.

"I see," said Nao, "I wonder how the Magic Six are doing out there…?"

"Ah….Haru and Makoto, eh?" chuckled Shiina, "I bet they're all doing fine. They're the dream team of this world…haven't you seen how fast they swim?"

"Oh I remember indeed, watching them growing up," said Nao, "But I thought Rin and Sousuke had a fight?"

"They did _and because of that, the prophecy was fulfilled_ and the six men joined together as a team, recreating the definition of swimming," replied Shiina, "It used to be illegal if more than 4 people were in the medley relay."

Nao kept silent to himself but smiled at the explanation. The boat finally returned to the docks afterwards.

* * *

**Evening: Hawa Tavern**

"Ugh, Ikuya can be so feisty!" moaned Momotarou as he sat down on the bar stools with Nitori and Sousuke.

"Sounds like he noticed you too?" asked Nitori.

"He's such a freak! Always prefers to keep silent. Not that I'm trying to disturb his hunting but he doesn't understand the importance of the Water Knights and what not," he replied.

"To each his own," replied Sousuke, before shouting to the bar tender, "Hey can we get our glass!?"

Moments later, he finally received his Chocolate Fuzz Navel with a hint of vodka. He sighed in relief and took a sip.

"Are you okay?" asked Nitori.

"Just another long week," replied the stronger man, "I'm tired as fuck…but it's all worth for the kingdom's protection."

"Maybe you should just rest up?" suggested Momo, "Just for the weekend at least!"

"I can't sleep," said Sousuke, "It's been harder for me lately."

Aki Yazaki walked into the tavern with Chigusa and Gou and they met up with the trio. After a moments of greetings and hi's, Aki noticed Sousuke's expression was not like his usual self. She sat down next to him.

"You okay?" asked Aki.

"…I don't know any more to be honest," he said, "It's been…several weeks now that they departed? Or is it a few months?"

"You're worried about Rin, aren't you?" she asked, "Did you tell him?"

"No…I didn't. I couldn't bring myself to tell him how I felt all these years," he said, "Unknowingly, I fulfilled their prophecy and now they're out having a blast or whatever they're doing."

"Well when he comes back, I know you'll be happy to see him," she smiled, "Maybe they'll send some more gifts and souvenirs?"

"I haven't even opened the first one yet," he answered, "I know I need to but I've been too busy."

He took his drink and gulped it down before realizing that he already had a few in in system. Sousuke crashed down to the floor.

"Oh shit! Sousuke!" shouted Momo, "SOUSUKE!?"

Momo, Nitori, and Aki got the man up on his feet but he was already feeling a bit intoxicated.

"Already he's drunk?" asked Gou.

"We'll take him back," said Aki, "Give us a half hour or so!"

* * *

**Shop of the Mystics, Sportsbrooke**

Theagenes cleansed up his shop from the dust when he heard the door opening with the bell chimes dancing. He looked up and saw Akashi with a not so good looking impression.

"How can I help you?" asked Theagenes.

"You brought us to this town years ago, in a prophecy that we would become the Generation of Miracles…" began Akashi, "But you've been known for using Dark Magic."

"Yes, you clearly know who I am exactly," he replied.

"When the Darkness was in Midorima, why didn't you stopped him?" asked Akashi.

"Oh um…I…uh…it's quite simple; the darkness was choosing Shintarou because he was jealous of Makoto," he shrugged.

"Like I'm going to believe that," said Akashi, "Tell me, Dark One…tell me why you did this to him?"

"I didn't do anything. I was only giving him the knowledge…however, there's a price to all things. In his case, the knowledge he was after increased his levels of envy and with that emotion taking over one's soul, the darkness from any Dark One seeks potential to inhabit a new body."

"…I see," he muttered, "And after I banished Shouyou and the others…"

"His vengeance also makes him the perfect candidate too, to become the next Dark One's apprentice," said Theagenes.

"Maybe I should just find that orb and command you to remove the darkness off of him!" growled Akashi.

"Oh that I could do but are you willing to pay the price? Quite a steep one if you ask me," chuckled Theagenes, "How about you go to the place where it all begin for you after you banished them?"

Akashi snarled and left the shop; clearly this was not going according to the plan. However, that last thing he said…

"The ruins of Karasuno District…" he muttered, "Could it really be?"

* * *

**Back out in the Olympus Desert:**

The Magic Six, Gaardus, Natsu, Sou and Aone traversed through the sands while the bird used its scanning ability and mapping the hologram of the area. Sou and Aone analyzed the map and found that they were getting closer to one of the scattered groups.

"How long will it take?" asked Rin.

"About a half hour or so if we go in the southern direction," replied Sou, "Seems that many of the people went 360 directions to avoid the reactor."

"Or maybe they used some magic?" asked Nagisa.

"I don't know what exactly Shouyou can accomplish without transport but either way, the Chernobyl Crystal is still existing," he answered, "We have to destroy it."

Sou looked at Aone to see if there was anything he noticed but he gasped to himself as he saw a silent tear spilling from his eye. As a friend of Shouyou, he was deeply heartbroken to see him falling to the darkness.

"Those who are tall and strong aren't the only opponents who are difficult to block," he muttered.

"Eh?" asked Sou.

"Just something I once said…" said Aone, "Shouyou is a wonderful person but…why? Why did he do this? Everything?"

"You know how it all happened," replied Sou, "We were banished and then…"

"True, but if it is also true that the people in Sportsbrooke want to reunite, it may be too late to save Shouyou," he answered.

"It's never too late!" said Rei, "We've saved lots of people before we arrived here. And we'll do whatever it will take to bring Hinata-san back!"

"Well then what are we waiting for?" asked Makoto, "Let's transform!"

The Magic Six nodded and they raised their Animal Star Dagger Wands and Alexa's Dragon Crystal Brooch:

**_DOLPHIN STAR POWERRRRRRRR…_ **

**_ORCA STAR POWERRRRRR…_ **

**_SHARK STAR POWERRRRRRRRR…_ **

**_PENGUIN STAR POWERRRRRRR…_ **

**_BUTTERFLY STAR POWERRRRRRR…_ **

**_DRAGON CRYSTAL POWERRRRRRRRRR…_ **

**_MAAAAAAKKEEEEEEE UP!_ **

* * *

The Dragon Brooch floated above Alexa as the background turned golden orange-yellow with glowing stars drifting around. His nails glowed yellow while a pair of wings grew from the brooch before it exploded into lights. Dragon scales grew from feet to the neck before it exploded out in his transparent form.

Raising his arms up, the armor pads covered his upper limbs while the dragon scales formed over his chest, abs. They shed off, revealing his plates similar to his previous outfit in Solis Power with slightly more ornate and ancient looking.

The same golden-yellow majestic cape grew from the armor and the white loose pants with armor boots with new decorated dragon designs on. The Suiei necklace was also "changed" but still kept the same heart shaped locket. His sword returned to his buckle inside the sheath.

Lastly, his helmet with a scarf covering from behind appeared, looking more like a prince than a warrior.

He spun around with his Dragon Kopis Sword at the ready, opening his eyes to see the source of his prey.

* * *

Haru's Dolphin Star Dagger Wand flickered and then exploded bright blue lights that matched his ocean colored eyes. He grabbed the dagger as his nails turned blue before he danced his way through the transformation sequence. The arms and triceps flexed and twitched the muscles as ripping energy waved through his body.

Haruka gently walked and spun around as he flipped his hair to the right, donning a black shirt with a white cloth above, black pants, a white-blue head cover turban, and a blue-yellow scarf.

Flipping his hair to the left, he donned some blue-green jewelry, a sword covered in a red sheath that attached to a golden belt, and a pair of shoe coverings. His Suiei necklace was tucked beneath his clothing but the powers unleashed were echoing across the area.

He turned his head forward as his transformation was smooth and streamlined like a Dolphin swimming through the rough waves at a constant pace.

Haruka opened his eyes and took his battle stance with his Dolphin Razor Sword at the ready.

* * *

The Orca Star Dagger Wand shimmered and exploded rays of green light as Makoto's body turned transparent, undergoing his transformation. He grabbed the dagger (his nails turned green) which caused all of muscles across his Posterior Deltoids, Teres Major, Latissimus Dorsi, Oblique Abdominals, Triceps, and the Thoracolumbar Fascia in great definition. Stretching and flexing them amplified his new strength as well.

He clasped his hands together as an explosion of electricity and water flowed through his body. Stretching his hands out, he donned a two-layer green outfit with a black-white stripes on his left side. Raising up his left leg, his pants were cream colored with canvas colored shoes that covered his feet.

A golden-yellow colored turban with an orange rim covered his hair while his Suiei Necklace was visibly seen with an orange necklace and other jewelry that decorated his body. He spun around as a blue vase appeared before him.

Makoto opened his eyes with a smile as his innocent-like expression was hidden with a badass attitude that knows no bounds; ready to face off the enemy. He grabbed the vase and readied himself.

* * *

Rin's Shark Star Dagger Wand flickered and glowed a series of red lights as his body became transparent into the background of his transformation sequence. He grabbed the dagger (his nails turned red) and danced his way through the lights of fire as he could feel the heat of the competition waving through his system.

Rin twirled as his red turban with loose flaps that contained blue-yellow stripes appeared on his head. His cloak was black and red with a white vest undergarment beneath. Raising his hands up, he donned a pair of golden cuffs and his malia bee pendant mixed with his Suiei Necklace.

At the same moment the waters swirled around his lower half before revealing his white lose pants with a buckle that donned his Metallic Shark Sword in a green sheath. He opened his eyes with a smirk on his face as a pair of black shoes covered his feet.

He could feel the fusion of a warrior and a competitive swimmer as one entity ready to take on anything. He crossed his arms together in his badass pose at an angle with a wider smirk by showing his shark teeth.

* * *

The Penguin Star Dagger glowed in pulses before the entire scene turned into a spiral, rosy vortex as he could feel himself spinning fast in a cyclone while being transparent. Nagisa grabbed the dagger (his nails turned magenta) and rotated his arms through the breaststroke pattern while pink ribbons of energy wrapped around his arms and head, donning his golden cuffs and his headpiece.

The blond made a series of cartwheel flips, obtaining the rest of his clothes; the red-white vest, the sashes of purple and the skirt-like pants for his legs. Nagisa made a soft smile and giggle as several penguins made chirping noises in the background, assisting him with the rest of the jewelry and other pieces that were missing.

As for his new weapon, the Star Dagger transformed into a two-handed broadsword at the side of his sash. The Suiei necklace appeared beneath his outfit as it shined at the ready.

He opened his eyes and made another cartwheel flip, summoning the spell book on his hand stand. The book floated next to him with a soft pink glow. He snapped his fingers as the book opened with the pages flipping magically while he readied himself for the battle with his new sword on hand and the book floating to his left.

* * *

Rei's Butterfly Star Dagger grew out its wings before it unleashed several butterflies soaring around with him. The megane grabbed the dagger (his nails turned purple) and made a cart wheel flip as his transparent body donned his purple-white vest.

Waving out his hands in the butterfly stroke motion, he donned the black sleeves and the golden cuffs on his elbows. The butterflies fused together to form his red turban with the white feather on top before it gently was placed on his head.

He spun around as his red glasses transformed into sliver frames as his lower half of the body morphed out a white pair of loose pants and black shoes. The sash finally formed in multi colors of black, red, and purple where he had his Butterfly Long Riffle attached to his back.

The sash on his waist formed with multiple colors of red, black and purple where his butterfly long riffle was attached on his back. He opened his eyes and readied on his weapon with a badass narrowed expression as if he was ready to fire.

* * *

Takanobu and Sou watched in amazement to see the Magic Six undergoing the transformations as if they had all the known power. Though it lasted a few moments, it felt like the process took forever.

"We're ready!" said Alexa, taking out his Dragon Kopis Sword and transformed it to the Crystal Staff, "Let's go get everyone back, shall we?"

One of the fragment groups, led by Hajime Iwaizumi consisted about 50 people traveling south, heading towards the Aobajousai Desert Swamps. These villagers broke off from Shouyou's group in order to get away from the Chernobyl Crystal's poisoning effects.

"How far are we till we get to the borderlands?" asked Yuusuke Takinoue.

"It's going to have to get us far from Shouyou and the Black Crows," replied Hajime, "I got a copy of one of the maps safe with me."

* * *

Daichi stared out at the endless sunlight, wondering how far the other fragment groups went. Is it true that this was all going to be the end? Or will Shouyou still try to make further attacks to Sportsbrooke?

"Something the matter?" asked Hajime.

"…I just wish there was some sort of a miracle," sighed Daichi.

"Don't we all?" he shrugged, "It's been almost 2 years since I lost contact of Oikawa. I don't know if he's even alive."

"I'm sure he's wanting to see you again," said Kiyoko.

They continued to make their way through the sands until one of the men, Wakatoshi Ushijima was beginning to feel dizzy and dehydrated.

"Ushijima, hang in there!" shouted Kenjirou Shirabu, "Here, take the last sip from my canteen!"

Ushijima pushed it back, "No…I-c-can't…t-this is the end…"

"Don't say that!" he shouted back, "We need your strength! Come on!"

Before Ushijima could answer, Kiyoko shouted out, "You guys! Look!"

The group turned to see a bunch of grasses growing from the sand and a pond of water forming an oasis with several palm trees around.

"W-What is this!?" gasped Hajime.

A cooling breeze swept through the area as everyone was shocked in awe to see the resources finally available to them…but how…and…?

"Do you think we're gonna let you all suffer in the desert heat?!" shouted a voice.

The group turned to see the Magic Six, Natsu, Sou, and Takanobu standing together.

_"For swimming and fortune, I am the Suiei God of Destiny and Understanding, Suiei Marotta!"_ said Alexa.

_"For swimming and free, I am the Suiei God of Freestyle and Relays, Suiei Nanase!"_ chanted Haruka.

_"For swimming and caring, I am the Suiei God of Backstroke and Friendship, Suiei Tachibana!"_ added Makoto.

_"For swimming and bonds, I am the Suiei God of Breaststroke and Fun, Suiei Hazuki!"_ introduced Nagisa.

_"For swimming and theories, I am the Suiei God of Butterfly and Beauty, Suiei Ryugazaki!"_ said Rei.

_"For swimming and happiness, I am the Suiei God of Medley and Unity, Suiei Matsuoka!"_ chanted Rin.

"T-The Suiei Gods!?" gasped several of the people.

"NATSU! AONE?! SOU?!" shouted Kiyoko.

The trio rushed up to them and laughed and cried happily.

"I'm so sorry for not being able to help you before Natsu!" said Kiyoko.

"It's alright, we got help now with the Suiei Gods!" she smiled, "For now, let's recover and regroup."

* * *

**Flashback: The Exile of Haikyuu! from Sportsbrooke, Part 2: The Unforgiven Ace**

Sportsbrooke Central City Diner

Akashi walked into the diner and sat in his assigned seating. Tonight was going to be an event where he and his opponent would face off each other while eating a meal and being live on the TV. Already _Good Morning Sportsbrooke_ and other channels were setting up the area and trying to keep the crowds at a distance.

Moments later, Shouyou walked in and was already enjoying the smell of the food. The two shook hands and sat down together.

"My, my, it's been a while, hasn't it?" asked Shouyou, "I feel like I've seen you before?"

Akashi smiled with an innocent shrug, "Must have been a long time ago, perhaps?"

"Must be," he answered with a smile, "I am here to become the leader of the city because my father was a huge inspiration for us. My sister Natsu is willing to become the symbolic princess of this city."

"Ah you have a sister?" asked Akashi, "Well as for me, I've been a powerful leader of our basketball team a few years back…you have seen us on TV I presume?"

"Oh you mean the Generation of Miracles of Teikou vs the Southern Diamondbacks? Of course I have!" chuckled Shouyou, "I must admit, the fire in your heart really does make you reach beyond limits!"

"Well my father was also a politician of a not so great town, but I took the basics from him and after I finished high school, I studied in the library to learn more about the world's ancient government," said Akashi.

"Hmm, I see, trying to revisit the past?" asked Shouyou.

"Only knowledge from the past can be of inspiration for the future," he answered, "The problem in this city is that everyone's too conflicting on all the not-so-necessary things. They need to focus on the bigger picture."

The waitress took their orders as the cameras were still recording them.

* * *

**Sun City Community, West Sportsbrooke**

The West Sportsbrooke district consisted of several smaller communities: Sun City, West Mountain Township, Litchfield, Star City, and Fort Heights. These areas were all relatively safe and profit growing with all kinds of cultures blending in and connecting to the Karasuno District that was more on the Southern area of the megacity.

However, this was not going to last…

Kei, Tooru, Yuu, and Kenma were hiding at a nearby park while trying to tamper with the supplies they were given from the "Wise Master" in exchange for revealing their secret to Theagenes. Afterwards, the Wise Master returned to his shop to avoid any consequences that would proceed.

Theagenes watched the four men using the energized protodermis and mixed with other chemicals. Kei's father was a scientist so he was able to understand several of the reactions with the known chemicals.

"Are you sure this is going to work?" asked Tooru.

"It has to," said Kei, "Think of what we can do with this! We can create new buildings and even make a palace for Shouyou!"

* * *

**Karasuno District**

"I swear to god, where the hell did he go?" growled Hajime, "He's not in downtown…he's not even in…"

"Calm down," said Akira, "Maybe he went to the western district?"

"But what could he possibly accomplish there?" asked Hajime, "Tooru said that he would be back here after lunch and he just disappears!"

Akira sighed and answered, "Just calm down. It's just you and I for now. You have to remain the pillar for your community's team."

"Yeah, yeah, I just…" began Hajime when they heard a loud explosion followed by a nearly blinding light and the earth shaking a little.

* * *

The Sun City community went ablaze as the elders and their families screamed and panicked to see it all on fire.

Kei, Yuu, Kenma and Tooru fled through the area with fear while Theagenes vanished to who knew where.

"YOU IDIOT!" growled Tooru, punching Kei, "YOU SAID THAT IT WAS SAFE!"

Kenma and Yuu picked up Kei as they continued to flee through the neighborhood. Several firetrucks from downtown and Karasuno districts arrived to try and doused the flames down.

* * *

The news went live and viral on the fires all over the megacity. Schools were evacuated, businesses were shutting down and various charity groups reached out to the survivors while the firemen tried to rescue anyone left behind.

It was clearly a disaster. However, Akashi knew exactly who was behind all of this. He turned to Shouyou and said, "Tell me how you are going to fix that?"

"Well I, uh…my father told me to reach out to people and…" began Shouyou.

"You have your supporters right? They know someone from your town that can reach out right?" asked Akashi, getting a bit more serious.

"Yes of course!" said Shouyou.

"Then…tell me…why are they doing that?" asked Akashi.

"They…WHAT!?" gasped Shouyou, "Are you trying to accuse me?! WHO WOULD THINK LIKE THAT!?"

The diner door busted open, revealing the police force and Takao as Akashi continued, "One of my friends saw what your people were doing behind your back. The problem that you have is simply being too cheerful and naïve. Sometimes you have to put discipline…sometimes you have to set standards. And that's…what I have…that's why…I AM ABSOLUTE!"

Before Shouyou could reply, Akashi's left eye turned yellow as a wave of power flew into the room, **_"You and everyone in Karasuno are to be exiled from this city immediately! Never to return!"_**

Shouyou tried to cover his eyes from the powers unleashed but he could feel his vision turning into a blur as all of his dreams were being vaporized away by the powers of this monster before him.

* * *

**2 Hours Later:**

Akashi stood over the rocky ledge that overlooked the Karasuno City as he used his Emperor eye at a wide range, commanding everyone to leave the city. The fires in Sun City were finally doused out and evidence was collected of the protodermis and other chemicals by the police.

The red-hair felt deeply sadden to do this but there was no other choice. He had to take over the city and protect it from all costs. There was no time to find the actual perpetrator but he hoped that the exiles can figure out who did it on their own.

Theagenes appeared to Akashi after the latter called his name several times.

"I must ask of a wish," said Akashi, "And the price I will give is my father's fortune from Rakuzan."

"Well it's not really a good price to use but…what can I do?" asked the Dark Magician.

"Since I will be in charge here, I need everyone's memories about today vanished. No one is to know about the fire breakout and the exiles," he replied.

"Afraid that's a high demand on your end and the payment is too low to even satisfy one of them dearie," chuckled Theagenes.

"…then take this," said Akashi, revealing the orange fluid inside the tube, "These are the memories of Shouyou and myself from years ago."

"Hmmm, you want to throw away those memories?" asked Theagenes.

"If it satisfies the payment," replied the red-haired.

"Why giving it to me when you have all the power now to use it? You can make everyone forget!" said the Dark Magician, "But doing that will also require a price."

"Fine," replied Akashi, opening the vial, "I'll take the memories myself."

He waved his hand over the vial while his emperor eye glowed, unleashing thousands of strings of energy flowing from the people of Karasuno and the inhabitants near the former city, all of it flowing into the tube.

However, doing this would eventually backfire as Akashi eventually ordered that area of the city to be demolished which caused some suspicions on the inhabitants that did not flee the city and hid in other villages. Theagenes knew of this because Akashi couldn't pay the full price.

During the last two years after, the remaining volleyball players that did not left were instead integrated to the other areas of the city and vowed to find means to bring back their beloved.

* * *

Shouyou, Natsu, and hundreds of people were walking through a harsh exodus across the windy sands of the Olympus Desert. Out of all the people that have forgotten, only he and his sister (and a few others that would join him to become the "Black Crows") remembered this very day.

The older brother was completely heartbroken by this, realizing that all of his dreams were now thrown away like rubbish. Natsu held his hand and repeatedly told him that they'll find a way to return and to figure out what happened.

"Just who would do this!?" growled Shouyou, "Who would try to backstab us like that!?"

"Shouyou, get a hold of yourself," said Tobio, "Let's just focus on finding the oasis and then…"

Before he could finish, everyone saw a cloaked being floating in front of them carrying a spherical glass.

"W-who's that?!" asked Hajime.

"Is it some sort of a demon?" asked Kei.

"Hehehe," replied the voice, "I have come because of what happened today…this is quite the news that I've heard since the shattering."

"Who are you?" asked Tobio.

"What do you want from us?" questioned Sou.

"Just a simple contract," said the entity, "I can give you all a new place…granted it won't be as grand as Sportsbrooke but…"

"Give it," said Shouyou, "Please! We need a place!"

"Ah…the blood of the Small Giant lives on," chucked the entity, reaching out its clawed hand, "My name is Chernobyl Pripyat, creator of the Chernobyl Crystal."

"Brother, don't listen to him," said Natsu.

"Hehehe," laughed Chernobyl, "My aren't we a bit judgmental."

"I don't trust you," replied Natsu, "Get away from us!"

Natsu lost her grip on her brother and gasped as Chernobyl forcibly dragged him to the darkness, "All I need is your brother to take charge of the crystal…and you all will have a place…"

"I accept," said Shouyou, "Please…get us to that place!"

Chernobyl unleashed waves of Dark Magic, changing the entire scene around as everyone gasped and covered their eyes by the dark powers unleashed. Moments later, they found themselves in the ruins of an old city.

"T-this is…" gasped Tobio.

"Yes…the original Karasuno City and its Miyagi Palace long before this world was laid to waste," answered Chernobyl, "Now then, use this place as your new home; rebuild your lives and take the time you need to make revenge to those from Sportsbrooke."

Natsu turned to see Shouyou all dressed up differently with a white uniform, a dark violet cape and a pair of earrings with dark crystals on both ears. She could only look at him with a bit of horror but was still not willing to give him up to that nasty entity.

"I won't forgive them…the people of Sportsbrooke…I am the UNFORGIVEN ACE of Karasuno!" laughed Shouyou darkly.

* * *

**Present Day: Olympus Desert**

The Magic Six and Gaardus bathed themselves in the oasis with Sou, Aone, Hajime, Yuusuke, Daichi, and Wakatoshi and a bunch of other males while Natsu and Kiyoko bathed in a different area of the oasis.

"I'm glad we were able to be of help!" said Alexa.

"Thank you," nodded Daichi, "We have been told legends about Prince Julius and the Suiei Gods…but I never imagined they would be as young looking as you guys."

"Who told you?" asked Rei.

"…After we first settled in the ruined city, Shouyou was given knowledge from Chernobyl and explained to us about the dangers of the Solar Crystal and the man who holds it," he answered.

"And what did this Chernobyl wanted from it?" asked Rin.

"Chernobyl wants to destroy the crystal and rebuild it to make the most powerful Radioactive Crystal called 'The Black Sun,'" said Hajime.

Gaardus kept silent about this with increasing worry; this was not going to turn out well if Chernobyl were to succeed in its plans. The Phoenix preened on its feathers for a few moments before flying over towards Alexa.

"What's the matter?" asked Alexa.

"Can you completely trust in these gentlemen?" replied Gaardus.

"Yes," said Alexa, "Because I know it's not them that started all of this."

"Eh?" asked Hajime, "Who started what?"

"If what your story about what happened is true…that means the only one who caused all of this wasn't Shouyou himself…it had to be _some traitor_ within the village, replied Alexa.

He took out the crystal and waved his hand over it, revealing the past memories of the city. The others joined in to see Alexa's power taking on the crystal as Makoto, Nagisa, Rei, Rin, and Haruka linked their hands as one.

Alexa gasped as he finally saw for a split second; the people involved in the experiment: Kei, Tooru, Yuu, and Kenma along with Theagenes and a strange armored being.

"No surprise that Theagenes got involved with the conspirators," muttered Makoto.

"Kenma and Yuu were killed on our journey," said Alexa, "Kei is still alive but Tooru's fate is unknown."

"Y-you saw?" began Hajime.

"Yes, Tooru was part of the experiment but he vanished that day," he answered.

"That idiot…" replied the other man, "I knew something was up when he didn't promised me!"

"So Shouyou was innocent this whole time!" answered Sou, "I knew he has the light in him!"

"But he fell for Chernobyl's trap after being heartbroken," said Aone.

"But we still don't know which among them started this initially!" argued Hajime, "What if it's Tooru!?"

"We'll save them…and Shouyou," replied Alexa, "The Solar Crystal can bring those from the Darkness back to the light."

"I'm afraid it's gonna take more than that to save _my son,_ " said a voice.

The gang turned to see a man standing by one of the trees; a not-so-tall man with black hair in a similar shape to Shouyou. The volleyball guys gasped at the sight as they all believed that he was dead from long ago…

**_Hikari Hinata, The Small Giant!_ **

**~Episode 6 END~**

* * *

**~Episode 7 PV~**

**Hikari:** Now, I want to know where my son is...

**Alexa:** Y-You're the one who rebelled against me from the past!?

**Makoto:** It's all over now, we can't go back!

**Rin:** We have to move onward now, we'll make peace once we fight off the darkness!

**Gaardus:** But if that's true, who was the one who staged this entire mess?

**Haruka:** Sounds like we'll have to bring him with us.

**Rei:** Hey, I think I might know who we are facing against!

**Nagisa:** Next Time, Free! _**The Small Giant!**_ Let's go save Shouyou-chan!


	8. Chapter 8

**Episode 7:** **小さな巨** **人** **!** **The Small Giant!**

The Small Giant stared at the gang at the oasis with a smirk saying, "And you thought I was dead."

Natsu returned to the area with Kiyoko and gasped to see him. She rushed up to him in tears, crying, "PAPA! PAAPPAAA!"

"Oh Natsu…my princess of summer," he said, with a happy tear while rubbing her soft orange hair, "You've really grown to become just like your mother. I'm glad to see you are doing well, you weren't corrupted by the powers of the Chernobyl Crystal."

"Father I'm so sorry!" she replied, "I failed to protect onii-chan! He's fallen to the darkness! And we lost several friends on the journey!"

"None of this is yours to blame," he said, "I know you both went through a lot and you've grown because of that."

"Papa," she answered.

"It's alright now, I have no injuries," he smiled, "Let's work together to save Shouyou, shall we?"

"Yes! For now on, I'll do whatever it takes!" she answered.

After wiping her tears off, Hikari turned to Julius and the Magic Six and bowed, "It's an honour to meet you again…Julius."

"Ehhh?!" gasped Alexa, "W-we met before?!"

"I'll explain everything…after you guys dry up and get dressed," said the Small Giant while Natsu silently nosebleed at the muscles of the guys.

* * *

**Karasuno District, Sportsbrooke**

Akashi stood over a pile of rubble that rested the ruins of this area. After he banished the residents, this area was torn apart and anyone who wasn't exiled were integrated into the other suburbs with harsher laws placed upon them.

Several organizations were already at work repairing some of the buildings and clearing away the rubble. However, Akashi was searching for something else…something that he buried…worried that it was accidently removed during the clean-up…

"Found it!" he muttered as he grabbed the vial from pile of rubble. He buried the vial that contained the memories here in fear that someone would try to storm the Miracle Palace.

"Did you find it?" asked Kise.

"Y-yes," he said, "The vial. This here contains the memories of me and Shouyou when we first met…and also the time of the exile."

"And doing this will be a good idea?" asked Aomine.

"…I have to pay the price," said Akashi, "I was the one who did this…now I have to undo it. However, I can't do it right now though in order for this to work.

"The Magic Six will bring them all back here and once they return, I will open this vial and release the contents to the air."

"But how will we know who really caused this entire mess if it wasn't Shouyou?" asked Atsushi while eating a bag of chips.

"That's their job…the Magic Six…I'm sure they'll catch the true perpetrator," he smiled.

"Then let's begin," replied Midorima, pushing up his glasses, "We have a city to repair…"

* * *

**The Makeshift Oasis**

Alexa, the Magic Six, and the other guys and Gaardus sat down in a circle surrounding the Small Giant and Natsu.

"So what kind of storytelling is this?" asked Rei.

"…the truth," said Hikari, "Of all this mess…everything began eons ago when this world was still one beautiful place…Alexa…or rather, Julius…we were once of friends."

"Friends?" asked Alexa, "But...how so if we only just met?"

"Your memory is still clogged up from all things," he answered, "Because after I tell you the truth…I fear you won't forgive me for what I've done to you and the others…"

"Go on," said Rin.

* * *

**Flashback 1: 150,000+ Years Ago: The Kingdom of Stokilos, Karasuno Country (to the west of the Olympus Desert)**

**~Miyagi University, Miyagi Palace**

Dr. William Morgan sat in his office reading a bunch of notes and letters of complaints when an older male and a younger, weaker male walked in.

"Doctor, we couldn't get in!" said the older man, "We did what we could."

"Well it's as I told you, basketball isn't for everyone," replied Morgan, "It's a lot of dedication."

"Easy for you to say," answered the younger man, "Those guys are just monsters!"

"Don't say that," he said, "I mean yes…they're incredible beings…but that doesn't mean you're weak."

"Well what can we do?!" asked the older man, "I still want to keep myself active to avoid going on those walkers and handicaps and…"

"Alright, I get it," sighed Morgan, "I've been getting a lot of complaints from everyone here. I'll see what I can research on."

"You mean…?" asked the younger guy.

"Yes, I'll make a new sport for anyone that can play," he smiled, "Now go out and enjoy some sun. I promise to make something new before this month is over."

* * *

"Developing a new sport eh?" asked Mary, his wife while they sat down on the porch of their house in the country hills of the White Doves.

"I needed to get away from the university palace for a bit," he said, "But I have to keep my promise to them or else they'll start to protest."

"Seems like this area isn't fit for basketball," she answered.

"I guess not," he sighed, taking his cigar pipe and taking a brief smoke.

"Maybe you should pay a visit to him?" asked Mary.

"…He's already too busy with his crew," said Morgan, "Besides, that's on the other side of the desert."

"So you're not going to help them?" replied Mary.

"I'll help them…I just don't know how," he muttered, trying to relax on his cigar.

* * *

**3 Days Later: Teikou University, Teikou City, Xia Country**

"Morgannnn! How long has it been?" chuckled Dr. James Naismith as they exchanged handshakes.

"Been long enough," laughed Morgan, "I was lucky to have an extended weekend so I decided to pay a visit to this lovely university."

"Ah, I remember the last time I visited there, we were looking for new basketball players," he said.

"Yes, but I'm afraid we got a problem about that," replied Morgan, "My folks aren't as qualified as yours."

"Oh?" asked James.

"Too vigorous…too much running around and jumping," he said, "I get all sorts of complaints. Karasuno is more of a country-like kingdom and not much of a city like here and Atlantis and the others."

"And you think I could be of some help?" replied James.

"I just need to find the inspiration…" answered Morgan when his eyes wandered a little and saw a crystal rod resting inside a glass case.

"Hm?" asked James.

"I-I'm so sorry!" blushed Morgan, "But may I ask what's with that…?"

"Oh, you mean this?" he replied, "Julius made this for me. Such a generous prince…he says that this staff has powers to allow the destined person to become a basketball player with powers of its own. Maybe if you go ask him, he might make something for you!"

"You mean like magic?" asked Morgan.

"Well I try not to enchant everyone but only those who are qualified to get to the 'Zone'," said James, "That's something we basketball players do as a rite of passage."

"I see," replied Morgan.

The two continued to converse a bit longer until Morgan got up and said, "Thanks so much. I'm going to do like what you did…just travel and see."

"I'm glad I was able to help. Best wishes," replied James.

* * *

**Back in the Kingdom of Stolkilos: Miyagi High School**

"Hikari!" shouted Daisuke, "Just ignore them!"

"Hehe, the Small Doll too fragile to fight?!" laughed one of the bullies.

Hikari Hinata, Daisuke Oikawa, and Kaito Kageyama were heading out for the day when the same trio of bullies pushed in. It started when Hikari was a bit too clumsy and too dreamy about becoming a basketball player. Daisuke and Kaito managed to get and promised to get their friend to the club.

That's when the other guys showed up.

Hikari was ready to punch one of them down but the second bully said, "How about it? This baby doll wants to fight us!"

"Okay now you better stay back!" growled Daisuke, shoving the second bully back, "One of these days he'll kick you in the nuts!"

"You guys didn't had to," sighed Hikari as he looked at Kaito and Daisuke's semi-beat up faces.

"It was well worth it," chuckled Kaito, "We're friends!"

"Yeah," agreed Daisuke, "I haven't packed a punch at some asshole since elementary school. Feels nice to use these fists again."

"And soon you'll use your fists for a better purpose," said a voice.

The trio turned to see Dr. Morgan standing nearby.

"D-Doctor!" gasped Hikari, "You're back!"

"I need you three to follow me, I've did some research in Teikou and I have something that might be beneficial to you guys," he answered.

* * *

The trio looked at the courtyard of the school that had a flying net of a few feet up with a strange looking ball.

"What is this?" asked Hikari.

"A game of Mintonette," said Morgan, "But we won't be using the court just yet. I want to see you three keeping the ball up in the air."

"Eh?" asked Daisuke.

"You mean like keeping the ball from touching the ground," replied Kaito.

"Yes, throw, hit or do what you must to keep the ball up. Don't use your feet though; just your hands," he answered.

The trio nodded and did a few rounds of keeping the ball high up in the air. After a few set of rounds, Morgan smiled and realized that this was going to get somewhere.

"Okay, now let's use the net. Keep the ball high and volley," he ordered.

* * *

The news of this "Mintonette" began to widespread across the kingdom. People of all ages wanted to participate in the experiment but only a handful were in. However, those who weren't chosen got a chance to observe this new game play being formed.

"This is amazing!" said one of the audience members.

"I never knew this is such a thing!" smiled another.

Dr. Morgan smiled at this success but wondered if he too was going to receive something from Prince Julius and the mysterious water kingdoms of Atlantis.

"So how did you come up with this game?" asked one of the reporters.

"I've visited the other cities and observed them; during the journey, I took notes on particular sports; handball, tennis and badminton. These were from the Bota Valley Sports Association but I also visited my old buddy James from Teikou."

In the days that followed, he received an invitation from Julius to visit him in Atlantis but the pressure and questions he kept receiving kept him busy.

"Hikari, I want you to go meet him, the prince," said Morgan, "I'll give you everything that you need to take for travel."

"I…" he began.

"I know it's a big favor but…I promise you, I'll make you the team when you get back. Consider it a thank you and surprise gift," chuckled the doctor.

* * *

**The Blue Bridge, Aqua** **Aigéan**

Hikari arrived at the shore way where the massive Blue Bridge connected from the mainland to the islands far out. Even though he was miles away, he could feel lots of magic flowing around here.

The bridge itself span out from the sands into about a 3-mile long pathway and about 1 mile wide for vehicles going in and out from the kingdom. Towards the halfway point contained suspensions and cables that kept the support upright.

Also half way was a touristic area with statues of Julius and the Suiei Guardian (Senshi) who rule the other islands and defend. Lots of people were taking pictures of the sea and other backgrounds with their family and friends.

"So amazing," smiled Hikari, "I never think this was so…beautiful."

The total walk took about an hour or so before he finally could see the Kingdom of Atlantis and the five islands surrounding. He took out his camera and began to take snapshots also before finally arriving at the gates.

"I am here to visit the prince," said Hikari, "If he is available."

One of the guards asked for his passport and checked in. Once he was marked with the okay and approved, he moved on to the streets of the city. It was very futuristic mixed with ancient architectures around. Lots of children carried buckets of water and fish around while several students were dressed in swimsuits preparing to swim.

"Wow, if I only knew swimming was…so unique, I'd love to try it out!" he chuckled.

He got to the steps that lead up to the palace where he saw more guards.

* * *

**Dragon Suiei Palace: Core Fortress**

"Master," said one of the servants, "A visitor has come…"

"Indeed," replied Julius, getting up from his bed, "I dreamed of him…the decision has been made."

He twirled his hands and magically dressed himself in his usual attire; the white toga with golden streaks with a golden-yellow picta. The crowning band with symbols covered around his forehead with golden cuffs on his wrists.

* * *

Julius arrived at the main throne hall where he saw Hikari observing the wonders of the palace.

"One's curiosity can travel you anywhere," smiled Julius.

Hikari turned and gasped to see the prince while kneeling down and said, "My apologies great prince!"

"No need to get all fancy," he replied, extending his hand out, "Come. I've been waiting to meet with you. What do you call yourself?"

"Hikari Hinata your excellency," said Hikari.

* * *

Julius led Hikari through the Suiei Gardens where they met up with Antonius and the four other Senshi. They were about to have a special lunch together and were honored to have a visitor from the mainland. Some of the Senshi's parents were also present but were already eating and conversing to themselves.

"We are grateful for your visit," smiled Antonius, "It's such nice weather out; perfect for today's feast."

"What is this feast?" asked Hikari.

"It's the celebration of Julius's coronation; his 5th year as the main ruler of Atlantis," said Poseidon.

"Ah, I wish I could live out here," replied Hikari as he sat down, "It must be so nice and peaceful."

The dishes consisted of sea food of all types with fresh salads and sweets from each of the islands. Hikari explained about the formation of this new sport happening in the Kingdom of Stokilos and Dr. Morgan's invention.

"Yes I have foreseen that," replied Julius, "Just like how I envisioned Naismith."

"Do you really see the future?" asked Hikari.

"Just a few scenes, I can't predict everything but it's at least something," he answered.

Julius got up from his seat and twirled his hand to create two objects; a golden egg and a long rod with a unique texture on the metal bar. At its head was a shape of a ball that he envisioned (that would become the volleyball) with a fascinating pattern.

"That's the Mintonette ball, isn't it?" asked Hikari.

"It is…but I have foreseen something different…the name of that sport won't last long…it doesn't rhyme with basketball or anything with ball as it is," said Julius, "At least for something on land.

"This egg though…I have to tell you something about it in person. But please enjoy your meal. I will be back shortly!"

"Julius…" began Romulus.

"I'll be back," he replied.

* * *

**After Lunch:**

Hikari waited for Julius in the throne room and the prince finally returned, carrying the egg and the Volleyball Diamond Rod.

"This Rod is a gift to the one who made the sport. It is for good luck and protection. This egg though is for you, I need you to keep it safe until it is time for its use," said Julius.

"Did something happened?" asked Hikari.

"One day…you will have two beautiful children…but I fear the elder one will be facing dark trouble ahead. If it comes down to this, use this egg to bring back the light in your child but it will cost a life to do this," he replied.

"A-a child? Y-you saw me married and having kids?" gasped Hikari.

"Of course it's just years down to road and you're still a high school student but yes, you will have kids who will inherit your fame and fortune," smiled Julius, handing the stuff over, "You'll know what to do when it's time. But be warned, nothing can be born from this. It can only be used once."

Julius smiled but knew something about this man from his visions. However, he didn't want to scare him if he told him the other dream.

"Your excellency, I am honoured to have met with you. I hope we can meet again!" he smiled.

"We will," smiled the prince, trying hard to not make a grim expression about 'that future'.

The two waved a farewell and once Hikari was out of sight; Julius spilled a tear with a whisper, _"The next time we meet…I fear..."_

* * *

**Kingdom of Stolkios, Karasuno**

Upon his return, Hikari kept the egg safe with him in a pouch while he handed the rod over to Morgan. From there, the two began to step up the first Mintonette team but after a brief argument with Hikari, they renamed it to 'volleyball'.

The first team was formed as the Karasuno Angels and consisted the members of:

Hikari Hinata

Kaito Kageyama

Nobuhiko Nishionya

Daisuke Oikawa

Hiroki Aone

Kyousuke Inuoka

Kouchi Tsukishima

Where they won several matches and became one of the miracles of their kingdom. They eventually took their team to the Olympia Arena Magna to increase their fame and their reputation and won a couple of matches there…until…

* * *

**The Dark One's Speech:**

Hikari and the others gasped as the cloaked figure walked to the central platform of the stadium. A bunch of guards tried to remove him but the monster unleashed dark magic to throw them to the side.

 _"People of Olympia Magna, you have been fighting in reckless games that have no meaning,"_ said the Dark One, _"It is time that everyone here and in this world suffers a war that is about to be unleashed from the core of this planet!_

**_"Soon everything you loved….everything ALL of you love, will be taken from you, FOREVER! And out of all of your suffering will rise my victory! I shall destroy all of your happiness, if it's the last thing I will do!"_ **

"That monster!" growled Hanamichi Sakuragi, ready to take down the dark one but Kaede tugged him back.

"I…I've seen this before…that cloaked figure," said Kaede Rukawa, standing to the side with the Generation of Marvels, "Hanamichi, don't stoop to his level, it's not worth it!"

"When did you?" asked Nobunaga Kiyouta.

"In a dream," he replied, "But I didn't think he would be real."

Several of the guards attacked again but the Dark One laughed and vanished, leaving ripples of energy flowing across the area. Moments later, the ground slowly cracked and a strange silvery substance began bubbling out.

"W-what is that!?" gasped Daisuke.

"It doesn't look like lava," replied Hiroki.

Hikari turned to the Generation of Marvels and asked them but they shrugged in confusion also.

"That substance…it has power," muttered Kouchi, taking out one of the volleyballs and heading over.

"W-what are you doing!?" shouted Hikari, "Leave it alone and let's get the audience to safety!"

Kouchi didn't listened and placed the ball into the silvery substance. A violent reaction threw him back as the ball transformed into a massive, spiked-creature, roaring loudly.

"LET'S GET OUT OF HERE!" shouted Kyousuke as the crowd began to flee from the scary monster while the substance continued to leak out further from the ground slowly.

* * *

**The Silver War**

The leakage of the mysterious substance from the Arena Mana developed several "Springs" in other areas of the planet.

One of them sprung at the core palace where it somehow solidified on a humanoid-form. Julius gasped and shouted, "WHO DARES TO ENTER THIS HOLY GROUND!?"

The humanoid-figure chuckled while dripping the substance to the ground, "I am the core of the planet whose powers are unpredictable….even more so than yours."

Julius summoned his Dragon Suiei Staff and replied, "So you're the one who's influencing everyone to fight each other! Why are you doing this?!"

"I simply want to teach you pathetic humans a lesson about trying to use each other while there are far greater opportunities than a child's play of sports," answered the entity, "There's far greater power than simple games."

"These sports are created to promote peace and culture in which it is protected by the Legendary Solar Crystal of Destiny," said Julius, readying his attack, "You will not take one step further into this palace!"

"I'm afraid that's gonna take more than that," chuckled the entity, "Take a look outside."

The entity waved its hand and showed a hologram of the people from the Kingdom of Stolkios mobilizing an army heading to this kingdom. The leader; Hikari Hinata!

"So you did this!" growled Julius, unleashing light blasts.

"Just a simple operation between myself and the Dark One," said the silver entity, "He influenced me to leak my power and to spread rumors about your beloved crystal…"

"Be gone monster of darkness!" he growled as he twirled his staff and vaporized the monster before him. A servant rushed in the room in panic.

"There's an army heading this way!" shouted the servant.

"It's time. Alert the other kingdoms and prepare to fight back!" said Julius, "And alert the other three Senshi as well."

* * *

The fighting between basketball and volleyball began when the former raised prices on certain goods and added hidden taxes. With this, the people from Stolkios blocked them from entering and had several of their scientists (Kouichi for one) to spill some acids and create pollution around the Teikou district.

More arguments escalated and caused a division of the two "newly-birth" sports. (Most of the other sports were at least a few decades to a few hundred years old). Rumors eventually spread about the Solar Crystal thanks to the "Silver Entity" and the "Dark One", influencing both sides to get the power and overthrow Julius.

Hikari led Kaito, Nobuhiko, Daisuke, Hiroki, Kyousuke, Kouchi and a few hundred other men and women to the Blue Bridge where they used their weapons crafted from the silvery substance with the help of Kouchi's careful scientific study and experiments and managed to create massive gun-like weapons as well as catapults and other bombs.

With an alliance they shared from the racecar Project Initial D; several battle vehicles were formed also and were exported to Stolkilos.

Hikari clutched his fist to his heart as his mind raced back to when he married his beloved wife and were expecting their first child. A year after (which was a year before the Dark One's announcement), the second child was on the way.

"Honey!" said Amaterasu, echoing his mind, "Please don't be so rash about this! You have to stay with me! Think for our children! We can't let the war affect us!"

"I'm sorry," he whispered to himself, "But this has to be done before the other sports and their kingdoms overthrow us."

* * *

The Generation of Marvels grouped together but only saw Kaede Rukawa returning from the mission.

"W-where's Hanamichi?" asked Toru Hanagata.

"…he's sacrificed himself to become the next guardian," he answered after hesitating.

"He…WHAT!?" growled Eiji Sawakita, "What an idiot!"

"OI!" shouted Kaede, "It was his own decision! I tried my best to convince him but he just thinks that it's all gonna be okay! I don't know how we are going to fight now that the Stolkilos destroyed our city! Now they're advancing to Atlantis!"

"Seems like we're running out some options," shrugged Ryouta Miyagi, "So much for our dream team to win this!"

"We still can," said Eiji, "Actually."

"What are you saying" asked Nobunaga Kiyouta.

"Well if you gentlemen can settle down and hear me out; I have mastered that one magic…the one that dictates others," he revealed.

"W-what?" gasped Minori Kishimoto.

"I know, it's a bit of Dark Magic but…if we can rally up some of the survivors left here as quickly as possible, we can take down the Stolkilos army," he explained.

"But isn't that going against our contract with the Suiei Gods?" asked Kaede, "We sort of managed to put ties to Julius and you know how much he's trusting us."

"Do you honestly trust him?" relied Eiji, "Or do you think he's using the Solar Crystal to manipulate all of us?"

"What's the matter with you?" asked Toru, "You weren't like this last night.

Moments, later they all heard loud explosions followed by bright lights, blinding hem except Eiji (after taking out a pair of special glasses). The other men screamed in pain as they realized that…

"YOU TRAITOR!" shouted Toru, getting up and tackling him down but was kicked by and struck at the tree.

"I'm sorry guys but I won a bid with Hikari's personal goods in exchange that I join him for the rebellion. All of you will die here and I will move on to survive!"

However it wasn't the case when Toru managed to escape thanks to his resistance with brighter lights but the sound in his head was still painful and loud but managed to get back to his wife and at least have some time to celebrate their child's birth.

The other guys did somewhat managed to escape but were hunted down and surrounded by the Stolkios or killed off by some mysterious bandits that took the opportunity to fight as well. From there, they would be reborn into the Generation of Miracles several millennia later and reform the team.

* * *

**Present Day: The Makeshift Oasis**

"So from there…" began Alexa.

"Yes, after we smashed down some other villages," said Hikari, "We got to the Aigean Sea and confronted you at the kingdom. But thanks to your power, it threw us back to Stolkilos and the kingdom was being torn apart by several barbarians and other teams mixed in. I took the children with me to the future with the surviving men that came with me."

"And you made your new lives here in Sportsbrooke," concluded Rei.

"That's right. I honestly don't understand this war but I know it showed the worst parts of ourselves. I didn't want to see that being passed to my kids…and now Shouyou…" he replied, "I failed him as a father."

"What happened to Dr. Morgan?" asked Rin.

"After I returned to Stolkilos, he was found dead buried in the rubble of his office. I took the rod but then I realized it wasn't right so I put it in his hand before I found my wife and the babies," he said, "From there I met up with a strange magician who brought me to this present timeline and a bunch of other men escaped the past and jumped to the future."

"The Dark One…" muttered Alexa, "He brought you guys to the future?"

"That he did," said Hikari.

"But Natsu said that you were dead," replied Makoto, "How did you survive?"

"That's another story," he chuckled, "But that will be said for later."

"Father," said Natsu, "What should we do now?"

"We'll find him," he smiled, "But I'm afraid it will be a fight."

* * *

**Back in Sportsbrooke: Karasuno Restoration Project**

The Vorpal Swords along with their friends teamed up with the remaining Karasuno villagers and other citizens to construct new buildings and restoring old ones for cultural memories.

The members of the Vorpal Swords agreed to not use magic for the main project in order to labor through all what was needed to be done.

"Put the bricks to the side and we'll put the cement," said Kagami as he pointed one of the villagers to set the materials aside.

"We'll have a brand new stadium for the volley ball players equipped with the latest technology on sound systems, TV's, screens, and more!" smiled Kuroko.

"Where's the princess goddess?" asked one of the villagers.

"She's watching over us," replied the sky-blue haired man, "She will return when the Magic Six has returned with the exiles."

Murasakibara brought over several goodies and treats from the bakery shop and handed them over to several of the workers. His family members also brought over some water and coffee.

"So when will you return their memories?" asked Midorima quietly to Akashi.

"When they return," he answered, "And I hope it will be soon."

* * *

**Somewhere in the desert…**

The group led by Shouyou continued their path through the harsh sands. However, the leader refused to rest until they found some sort of oasis (or their enemies to fight).

"Please you must rest!" said Tobio, "You might be our leader but you can't fall!"

"I will not until we fulfill our mission," he replied.

"Well it doesn't help by the fact we don't have Aone or Inouka for guidance!" growled Lev.

"Like hell they would help us!" replied Testurou.

"It's obvious that they would take the opportunity to escape from our claws," said Shouyou, "But if I do see them again…"

He readied his shadowed hand with the Chernobyl crystal, "I'll make them pay!"

"Hey, what the hell happened to Kei?" asked Lev.

They looked to their group and realized that Kei wasn't hanging with them. Tobio's eyes narrowed as he recalled that day when it all happened with the exile but it was still broken pieces in his mind.

 _What the hell happened to us on that day_ , he thought.

* * *

Kei traversed through the sands alone, hoping to get as far away from anyone as possible. He knew that there was little time left before the truth would be exposed.

"Aye, if it wasn't for you though, I'd never be able to be of help," said a voice.

"Chernobyl," he muttered as he turned to the cloaked figure.

"Yes," replied the entity, "You know that the explosion you set off back in Sportsbrooke brought me back to the surface. And it is always appreciated."

"I had no intentions of your plans," said Kei, "I wanted to take in the power that Shouyou and Natsu have!"

"The power of siblings?" asked Chernobyl, "Quite a demand. And what of your brother?"

"He never gave me what I wanted," he answered, "Our share. Ever since father passed away and our mother committing suicide, we kept a promise. But one day, he vanished with someone, taking all the shares and I was left alone. Eventually I found out that he's dead because of some bandits!"

"Quite a tragic story," said Chernobyl, "And why would you displace them on Natsu and Shouyou?"

"It's simple…they have something I never had. And I'm going to show them the same suffering I have by taking over Sportsbrooke!" he replied, "Thankfully I kept enough crystals on me to make this work!"

Kei took out the crystal and continued, "I ask of you to fuse my existence into yours and with the knowledge I've learned, I'm going to unleash the radiation all over this world and put them all to waste!"

* * *

The Magic Six were preparing the volleyball guys and Small Giant to depart when they saw a group arriving.

Hikari's eyes widened to see his son leading hundreds of other people here. Could it really be?

Shouyou saw him and narrowed his eyes, "F-Father?"

"Hello son," he smiled.

"No, you're not him," replied Shouyou, "You're an imposter of some sort!"

"And so are you…Dark One!" said Hikari, "The Darkness that took over my son! Why did you?"

"You don't know what happened and that's my business…yours is your death!" he growled as he readied his Chernobyl Crystal.

"WATCH OUT!" shouted Natsu.

The Magic Six appeared side by side with Hikari.

"Out of my way you teardrops!" growled Shouyou, "Or you'll be vaporized!"

"ONII-CHAN!" shouted Natsu, "WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?!"

"It's for the best," he said.

"By eliminating those who love you!?" she cried out, "You could have IGNORED that monster but you accepted it in without thinking!"

"THAT'S BECAUSE WE LOST OUR HOME!" he shouted, "WE LOST EVERYTHING THANKS TO THAT BASTARD!"

"HOW CAN YOU BE SO SURE THAT IT WAS HIS FAULT?!" she replied back, "WHAT IF THERE WAS A TRAITOR IN OUR GROUP!?"

"I DON'T CARE! I WILL ELIMINATE EVERYONE!" he growled out, soaring towards Hikari.

"You left me no choice," said the father as he swiftly dodged the charge and grew out his wings to fly above.

Shouyou hissed as Hikari took out the Volleyball Diamond Rod and fired various spiral blasts toward him. The son replied with radioactive blasts from the Chernobyl crystal.

"Natsu stay behind us," said Rei.

"Should we really interfere with this?" asked Nagisa, "Shouyou already threatened us."

"But if the only way to save him is True Love…" began Rin.

Natsu's eyes widened and realized what that meant; this situation…could it be. Her eyes began to tear a little as she knew that this decision she was about to make…

 _I'm so sorry, onii-chan_ , she thought, _but this has to end…_

Before anyone could protest, Natsu broke off from the group and rushed into the battle scene. Shouyou fired another blast of the crystal towards Hikari. Everyone watched in horror as the young lady stepped in between the two as the radioactive attack struck her dead on.

"NATSUUUU!" shouted several of guys as the sister collapsed to the ground.

The Magic Six rushed up to her along with Sou, Aone, Hikari and Hajime, horrified by the reckless decision. They turned her over and saw her face partially burned along with her neck, arms and some on the legs. Her dress was all ruin in rags and burned as well.

Shouyou stood in frozen and fear at the sight and watched from the distance.

"Natsu please!" said Hikari, "Look at me! Don't give in!"

She smiled weakly and answered, "I'm sorry…I failed to protect him…this price…is mine to pay. I know you can save him…but I can't…"

Natsu took a few breaths and turned her head to Shouyou saying, "…Thank you…onii-chan. I'll never forget the happy times together…but I can't fight anymore."

"Natsu…" replied the father softly.

"Thank you…for being our inspiration," she said before turning her head to Alexa, "Thank you…for giving me the final hope I need."

She turned her head back to her brother on her final breath, "I…l-lov…"

But the words weren't complete as she tilted her head and closed her eyes. All of their eyes spilled out tears while Shouyou fell to his knees horrified at what he was seeing.

"No…No…N-NATSUUUUUUUUU!" he screamed as his face flooded with tears. The darkness in him exploded out of his body and flew away across the desert. He rushed up to his sister, holding her from the back. The Chernobyl crystal in his hand exploded into shards.

Tobio walked up to him and rested his hand over his shoulder. The orange haired turned to see him and hugged him as Sou, Aone, and a few other guys joined in for an emotional bond.

"Wh-what happened to me?" asked Shouyou, "The last thing I recall was…"

"You gave into the darkness," said Sou, "You made a deal to that strange monster without thinking the consequences because we were exiled."

"That I did," he replied, "But…how did I even…"

"The darkness took over you," answered Aone, "Oh Shouyou! We thought you'd never come back!"

"I'm so sorry everyone!" he cried and sniffed, "I betrayed everyone I loved…all because of revenge…I was so emotionally upset that I allowed the darkness to take me."

He turned to his father, "I failed you…father."

Hikari shook his head and hugged him, "I'm just happy you're back."

"Shouyou…there is something I must do," he said, "I'll get your sister back but…"

He gasped and answered, "No! I don't want to lose you! We just finally…"

"I'm afraid it won't work…if I don't pay this price, your sister will stay dead," he explained, taking out the golden egg.

Alexa gasped as he recognized the egg from the past life and said, "I…I gave it to you!"

"Yes," he replied, "You saw this future, didn't you? You knew that my children were going to end up like this."

"I…I couldn't change the future to keep them all alive," answered Alexa, "I'm sorry."

"Shouyou," said Hikari, "You have to bring everyone back to Sportsbrooke. The Magic Six will help you guys. However, there's still a battle to fight against Chernobyl but I know we'll overcome it.

"But to defeat it, you need your sister by your side. That's why…I must pay this price."

Shouyou spilled some tears and hugged him again, "I'm going to miss you!"

"Me too," he said, "But no matter what…I'll always be there in your heart. You and your sister."

"I have one question," asked Alexa, "How did you get a hold of the rod if you didn't take it?"

"When I faked my death while living in Sportsbrooke, I met someone who gave it to me…a small golden puppy. He told me with the instructions for when I must hand it over," explained Hikari before he turned it over to Shouyou.

"This…?" asked Shouyou, taking the rod.

"Yes," said Hikari, "It has all the light magic and powers related to volleyball. Keep it safe by you and you'll be able to fight against Chernobyl."

Before Shouyou could reply, Hikari turned over to Natsu and kissed the egg. It glowed a golden yellow and floated above the corpse. The Small Giant could feel his body dissolving into energy.

"Father…" cried Shoyou, "Thank you!"

Hikari smiled and waved a final farewell before turning into pure energy and flowing into Natsu's body. A soft heartbeat was heard by everyone as the sister opened her eyes and gasped for breath.

"Sister!" shouted the older brother, hugging her.

"S-Shouyou…" she cried happily, hugging him back with tears, "I knew you'd be alright!"

"But father though…" he answered.

"I saw what he did," she replied, "My spirit and his exchanged and converted our energy. I'm sad to see him gone but…we can fight now and bring everyone home!"

"Yeah," he agreed, "But…how will we get home?"

"Akashi and the others are restoring the city by hand with the civilians," said Makoto, "Please join us and we'll get everyone back."

"Of course," smiled Shouyou before his expression turned grim, "But…we're still missing something."

"What's that?" asked Natsu.

"We don't know…how or what caused us to be exiled in the first place," he replied.

"I think I can answer that," said a voice.

Everyone turned to see Tadashi _Yamaguchi standing in front of them, "I know who betrayed you."_

_"_ _W-who?" asked Shouyou, "Who betrayed us during the campaign?"_

"Kei," he said, "Kei Tsukishima."

The Magic Six's eyes widened along with Sou, Aone, and Hajime as the other guys looked at each other.

"It can't be!" gasped Lev.

"Kei's not here," said Shouyou, realizing the fact, "He knew that this would be happening! He escaped!"

"But how, what did he do exactly?" asked Natsu.

"He's the one who caused the fire explosion in Sun City," revealed Tadashi, "He did this by taking the mysterious substance he and a few others found and were experimenting."

"That substance…" said Rei.

"The same one described from Alexa…" agreed Rin, "He used the Solar Crystal to retrieve memories."

"So it all fits!" said Nagisa.

"Not quite…we still don't know what the substance has done anything in the past," replied Haruka.

"I can explain," answered Shouyou, "The substance that Kei experimented on is the same one that destroyed Olympia Magna ages ago during the war. Chernobyl explained it all to me. It's also the same one we used to make the crystals."

"So then, what we are going to do?" asked Testurou.

"We should get you all back to Sportsbrooke safely," said Makoto, "If Kei is still out there, he might try to hunt us down."

"I can connect a portal from here to the city," squeaked Gaardus.

Shouyou looked at the Phoenix and asked, "Are you a bird of some kind?"

"Gaardus is a Phoenix!" he chuckled while the Magic Six had a sweat drop of chuckle/nervousness.

"Come on guys!" said Alexa, "Let's get you all back!"

Everyone raised their fists up and cheered on; everything was finally going to be alright again as they took their first step closer to a new beginning.

**~Episode 7 END~**

* * *

**~Episode 8 PV~**

**Makoto:** Rin, do you remember how this all began? Have you kept this secret?

 **Rin:** I've done all what I can!

 **Rei:** Eh? Done what, Rin-senpai?

 **Nagisa:** Mako-chan, Rin-chan, what's the matter?

 **Haruka:** ...

 **Makoto:** W-what?! Haru? Why are you turning your head from us?!

 **Alexa:** Next Time, Free! **_Dark Destiny!_** Our past...awakens with great pain!


	9. Chapter 9

**_Episode 8:_ ** **_暗い運命_ ** **_!_ ** **_Dark Destiny!_ **

**Flashback: 5 Years Before the birth of the Magic Six (6 Years before Alexa's birth, Year 4994 X.I.),**  
Coronation of the Royal Families  
Location: Hawakoto Kingdom, Aqua Duniya

The six brides walked across the aisle, heading to their beloved husbands while a large crowd of the kingdom's audience watched with tears of joy.

Magnus Marotta, Tatsuhisa Tachibana, Nobunaga Nanase, Toraichi Matsuoka, Tsubasa Hazuki, and Daisuke Ryugazaki stood side by side at the end of the temple; dressed in their white cloaks and their respective colors of gold, green, purpole, red, pink, and blue.

During the exchanging of vows between the brides and the grooms, a cloud high above grew dark and a shadow of vortex energy swirled in. The audience huddled in fear as lightning struck around before the cloud dissipated to the man standing before them.

"You…" growled Toraichi, "What are you doing here?"

"It's not you this time," said Theagenes, unveiling his face from his cloak, "But I see that soon you will be blooming with children."

"What do you want?" asked Daisuke, narrowing his eyes.

"A deal," replied the Dark One, "You all got your wishes…now I must ask of a payment in return."

The audience looked around in fear of what was about to occur. Magnus readied his Dragon Sword and said, "You said that there was nothing to give back to, demon!"

"All magic comes with a price, dearies," chuckled Theagenes, "But since you're all so obsessed with your future children…I'll make it a simple price; tell me their names…ALL of them; the ones that you prophesied them to become heroes."

"And what makes you think that's a sufficient price?" asked Tatsuhisa.

"The names can be powerful weapons with origins of their etymologies," he replied, "Each name you give to them will determine their future."

"Our child will be Haruka," said Nobunaga, "For his name will clear up all the flowers with his perfume."

"Makoto is our son," added Tatsuhisa, "For he shall be sincere to all."

"Nagisa will be the seaside that's full with sunshine and happiness," nodded Tsubasa.

"Rin, for he will be dignified to all who loves him," smiled Toraichi.

"Rei, because of his beauty," answered Daisuke.

"Ah…such lovely names indeed," said the Dark One, "But I'm afraid some of those names also have darker meanings…Rin…for being cold…Haruka for being distant…aloof…"

"Are you saying that our children are potential for darkness?" growled Nobunaga.

"No but…it all depends on the final name…" he said, looking at Magnus and Idaina, "Tell me…what's his name?"

"Why should we bother to tell you?" replied Idaina, "You monster!"

"Honey, don't step to his level," said Magnus before he stared at Theagenes.

"Remember the price…" hissed the Dark One.

Idaina took a deep breath before she answered, "Alexa…his name is Alexa; the savior of mankind."

"We shall see," said Theagenes, "Now. I will return for when they are at the age of swimming. That's the price and the agreement that was made. Ta-ta."

* * *

**Days Later:**

Idaina went down the halls alone, carrying a torch as she was heading to one of the private rooms of the fortress. Her family had kept long-riddled prophecies that were translated by a friend named Kaarina.

She placed the torch down and waved her hand over a series of circles that patterned a larger circle.

"Star…eye…water…" she pressed and the door flared to life. Once it was safe to walk in, the newly queen reached to a shelf of books that were hidden here for who knew how long it has been.

Grabbing one of the books, she flipped open the pages and found what she needed.

"They are in that place…" she muttered, "And they want us to bare them as a child? Even though we don't know what kind of people they are?"

"You already know the answer to that," said a voice.

She turned to see a man with light brown hair with heterochromatic eyes of pink and green. The length of this person's hair was long that it almost touched the ground and wore outfits that almost looked like a tree.

"So you're the voice who've I heard?" she asked.

"Indeed," he said, "I am the trees and the flora of realms…with this as being one of many."

"Tell me, what do you know about our children? Who are they really?" asked Idaina.

"Ah yes…those gentlemen…are very, very special," said the male figure, "They were…per say…heroes. Heroes from another world that stretches out to many other lands. The book you have there shows one of the many worlds outside of this realm."

Idaina looked at the book and flipped the page to see a beautiful land that had a city resting on a body of water surrounding by massive land beyond with a name barely readable as "Lyn…"

"Their powers will be as what this world needs…water," said the entity, "And their powers will grow more than that."

"Yes I get that, but what I don't understand is how…they got here? How does it relate to Prince Julius' legacy? They can't be one of the same?" she asked.

"That cannot be said," he answered, "For that secret is vital for their mission…that will lead them to their destiny."

"And this mission?" she began.

_"To rebuild their clans and establish rules…they will swim through a trial by fire…they will see the eyes of the darkest evil to ever exist; and if they weaver once, they will die."_

Idaina turned the page again and saw what looked like a massive battle of the heroes fighting someone of great evil before it showed the next page of pure happiness and joy. _What could it mean for this universe?_

* * *

Kaarina slammed her staff on the ground as the void around shimmered a new splash of stars soaring across, lining up into various symbolic constellations.

_Six stars have fulfilled their destiny…but now a new generation of their existence is born…continuing their quest that shall end the darkness. But the price to pay…for such a conquest..._

The future seer gasped as a black spot of ink covered one of the stars, turning it into a model of a black-hole.

"The Darkness…it has begun," she trembled, dropping the staff.

* * *

**~Several Years Later: The Seventh Night of the Purification Ritual**

_Time: Early Morning_

Alexa woke up in his bed and turned to see the others standing around him.

"Alexa!" sighed Makoto in relief as he wanted to hug him but couldn't as they were still in the ritual even though they were not in the water.

"W-what happened to me?" he asked.

"You were observing the stars but then…you passed out," said Rin.

"I…I did? Oh no! I feel so bad for not being able to…" blushed Alexa.

"Don't worry about it," replied Haruka, "We'll have another night together."

"Yeah!" agreed Nagisa, "Alexa-chan is always fun to hang out with! Right Rei-chan?!"

The megane nodded and they all went down for breakfast. The sun had yet to rise up but this final day was the most important one for they will finally receive their water magic and become apprentices as well as starting to become swimmers.

They walked in pairs heading to the large hall where their families waited for them.

"Suuuugoooiiii!" smiled Nagisa, "All of our families and friends too!"

Rin waved to Sousuke and Aki while a group of swim instructors walked in to meet their future students. Ama-chan was also present for she had taught them several courses of their education and a few others.

"Brother!" said Sergi, wanting to hug Alexa, "I'm so glad you're okay! We were all so worried for you!"

"I'll be fine," he smiled, "And once it's all said and done, we can all go to the beach!"

A group of other students; Nao Serizawa, the Kirishima brothers, Shiina Asahi, the Mikoshiba brothers, Aki Yazaki, Kazuki Minami, Takuya Uozumi, Shouta Nakagawa, and others stood nearby with Sousuke Yamazaki. The Magic Six learned that they will be part of their classmates for the swim program next month as a large starting class.

At the ring of a chime, the food was served.

* * *

It was almost sunrise on the watery world as Haruka sat on the tree again, wondering what the future would really hold for him and the others.

"Haruka-senpai" said Rei's voice.

Haruka looked down to see the megane at the base of the tree, "What's the matter?"

"Isn't it forbidden for you to be up on that tree?" asked Rei.

"I already covered my hands in water so it won't affect the purity," he answered.

"Still but…" he began as the others showed up.

"Haru-chan it's almost time!" said Nagisa.

"I'm so glad we're gonna be done with this!" yawned Rin as he stretched his arms out, "A week's long ritual is nice but it's getting a bit too much for me."

"We'll be alright!" smiled Alexa.

Makoto wanted to hold his hand as his heart was slowly aching a little. Clearly something was going to happen but what was it?

* * *

_Time: Midmorning_

As the sun shined all over the kingdom, the heroes were in the Purification hall still chanting the way through the ceremony in the water.

Haruka, Alexa, and Nagisa gave prayers to the Suiei Gods and rotated with Rin, Rei, and Makoto for a series of dancing and hymns to songs.

This seventh day was very important for them as it would allow them to become one with the water finally and because of the intense magic being unleashed, the parents were not allowed to enter the hall.

 _I don't know what you saw last night_ , thought Makoto, _but I swear…I will protect you!_

All seemed well as it was almost time for their noon break. Rin smiled to Haruka while Nagisa blew a kiss to Rei, prompting him to blush.

"I'm so glad," smiled Alexa, "We'll finally embrace and…"

His words were cut off as the room shook gently. They stopped dancing for a few moments and wondered if something was happening outside of the hall.

"T-that sound," gasped Alexa as he could hear that same tune from last night, the ringing of small bells.

Before the others could reply, a violent tremor knocked them off their feet but Alexa's body was glowing and his eyes were dull.

"THE SAME AS LAST NIGHT!" shouted Makoto.

"NO!" cried Rei.

"ALEXAAAA!" shouted Haruka, Rin and Nagisa as the final star floated his way up towards a fixed point where a rip in space-time opened.

A violent of shadows erupted and swirled all over the chamber.

"I swear to the heavens!" growled Rin as he summoned his Shark Tooth Sword but it flew off of his hand as the Dark One stepped into the scene.

"WHO ARE YOU!?" asked Makoto.

The Dark One flicked his hand, throwing Rin, Rei, Nagisa, and Haruka across the area to knock them out.

"STOP THIS!" shouted Makoto.

The two gasped as swirls of water shielded Alexa as if the water sensed the danger.

"T-the water…" gasped Makoto, "It's keeping him safe!"

"Foolishness!" growled the Dark One and waved his hand to unleash tentacles of shadow to grab Alexa.

Makoto gasped and rushed to grab Alexa, crying out for him, "WAKE UP! DON'T GIVE INTO THIS! ALEXXAAAAAA!"

The shadows choked the final star and enclosed him rapidly as his hand reached out to Makoto before saying, "N-no….m-my true name i-is…"

Makoto reached out his hand to grab him but he stopped short as he realized that they weren't done with the purification. Alexa's hand sucked into the shadows and Makoto screamed out.

"The future resides on the other side of our choices," said the Dark One, "You hesitated just now to keep the rules intact…but doing so…"

The shadows dissipated into a pair of black wings on Alexa's body as a death-like mark floated in front of him.

"W-what is that!?" gasped Makoto.

"The Mark of Death," replied the Dark One.

"N-No! NO!" he shouted, summoning his vase, "Why are you doing this?!"

 **_"This mark placed on him this very day belongs to the Dark Ones. In time, the darkness will grow more intense and by the sunset of his 21_ ** **_st_ ** **_birthday…his breath will be…the last."_ **

"WHY MUST HE DIE!?" screamed Makoto.

"To fulfill my plans," laughed the Dark One, "For an Eternal Darkness…"

"ORCAAAA, ACIIIIID SPLASSHHHHH! shouted Makoto, unleashing a splash of acid attack but the Dark One threw lightning bolts at Makoto, knocking him down. The young boy spat out blood and barely got on his feet again.

"You seem to know some magic," said the Dark One, "But even as you master your powers…you will not win. The next time you try to attack me, you will die!"

Makoto braced himself for another attack when blasts of light struck through the room. He turned to see the parents arriving in the hall but he suddenly felt dizzy and fell to the water.

* * *

 _Evening_ :

The royal parents brought their children to their beds while Magnus and Idaina tried to use some sort of magical spells for a diagnosis. The Magic Six were all "asleep" while the other siblings were distracted on purpose to keep them away from this tragic event.

"This spell is enchanted to kill him," breathed Magnus heavily, "Our magic can't save him!"

"Our children…their futures…" said Nobunaga sadly.

"No, this pain has to be put to the side," replied Tatsuhisa, "I will not allow my son to know about this!"

"But will keeping the truth from them be the right choice?" asked Misa.

"We'll come up with something on our own," he answered.

"I really don't like this idea," said Toraichi, "It's bad enough with my brothers. How much more memories can we hide from this kingdom?"

"As long as it takes to keep it all at peace," answered Tatsuhisa.

"But…" began Daisuke, "If we really do hide it from them. How are we going to pay the price?!"

"Not to mention it's going to hurt us in the end," sighed Tsubasa.

"Perhaps Theagenes might know about this?" asked Idaina, "Clearly he's the Dark One. It has to be associated with him?"

"You mean that he would do this to us?!" gasped Akeno.

"That bastard! I knew we should've trusted him!" cried Rika.

"Let's summon him here," said Emi, "He's gonna pay for this!"

"I'm afraid my magic won't work for him, dears…" echoed the voice of Theagenes.

The parents turned to see the cloaked figure standing at the doorway as the man walked into the room, "Yes. I do possess the darkness but it's not the same one as the monster who entered to the purification hall."

"But all dark ones should be related!" said Magnus, "Why did you do this to my son?! REMOVE IT!"

"My magic won't work because this monster isn't from this land," replied Theagenes, "But I do know some stuff about it that might help you on the research."

"And that is…?" asked Tsubasa.

"This monster has a stronger level of dark magic compared to my own and the Mark of Death will indeed kill him on that birthday unless if someone is willing to take in his place," explained Theagenes, "That's the only way. No light magic can simply undo this."

He walked over to the child though the kings tried to keep him away from the boy.

"This child will also…become the Savior," said Theagenes, "He is one of the three that will repair the shattered world of Olympia Magna. However, with this death set in stone, another savior must take his place before the Dark One makes his final strike in the future."

"Where are the other two saviors?" asked Emi.

"And what is this Dark One really up to?" added Rika.

"You'll be having to pay the price for those questions," he chuckled, "I'll be back when they are ready for the swim lessons."

"WAIT!" shouted Toraichi but Theagenes vanished into the smoky clouds.

"He's gone," sighed Nobunaga, "So now what?"

"We need to protect our children from the truth for now," argued Tatsuhisa, "I know this is already a big problem as it is but we can't let it leaked out."

He took out a small flask vial and waved out his hand to Makoto as a glow of green energy flowed into the small tube.

"I only removed the memories of the purification rites and their days spent," he said, "You guys need to do the same with the others."

While some of them disagreed to do this, there was no point in arguing so they too followed the pattern and removed the memories off of Alexa, Nagisa, Rei, Rin and Haruka as the young boys still fell asleep with dreams of their futures ahead.

"We must also remove our other children's' memories of the purification as well as the kingdom's memories," said Tatsuhisa, "Before sunrise…"

* * *

_The Next Day:_

The Royal Families decided to take the children out to the beach together along with several of the villagers in celebration of their upcoming birthdays.

Haruka was already staring out to the sea while his feet were in the water. Makoto, Nagisa, and Alexa splashed around while Rin and Rei randomly chatted around with Sousuke and Kazuki.

Shiina, Nao, the Natsuya and Mikoshiba brother played toss up with a beach ball while Gou, Chigusa, and Aki sat on the benches to enjoy the sunlight.

It was quite a nice day though no one knew what happened (except for the parents). Already, Tatsuhisa and Magnus could see the "Death Mark" on Alexa's body as the children played happily.

"He wants to annoy us about it," whispered Daisuke.

"And it will only grow," sighed Toraichi.

"I've hidden the vials safely," said Tatsuhisa, "No one will find them easily."

"Is it really true there's nothing to undo this?" asked Nobunaga.

"Maybe not to undo…but we can slow it down," replied Toraichi, "I got an idea…"

* * *

**Yamazaki Hut**

"And you're gonna let this weight be on my shoulders?" asked Hosoya Yamazaki.

"Your wife was killed by that same curse, wasn't it?" replied Toraichi, "After she gave birth to Sousuke?"

"Well yes, but…it was after I found out she made a wish to give birth to a child though she was sterile. In exchanged for that price, the Dark One took her life," he answered.

"Then what makes you worried?" asked Toraichi.

"Because…Sousuke is a potential candidate to become someone of great darkness…like the Dark One," he said, "And something is going to trigger that…I know it."

"I ask of you to help and in return we'll do our best to monitor your son," said Toraichi, "He is after all…going to be in the same class with Rin."

"And that's…what I'm afraid of," replied Hosoya.

* * *

**2 years after the purification rite (most characters are about 8 – 9, some 10 years old)**

**Hawakoto Pool Room #1**

"Awwwwww!" sighed Nagisa, almost wanting to cry.

"We were totally close!" replied Rei as he saw the timings of the team and their opponent team consisting of Shiina, Natsuya, Momo and Nitori.

"It's alright guys, we did great!" smiled Makoto while Haruka dried up his hair with a towel.

"But now that I think about it," said Rei, "I feel like we haven't practiced enough on our exchanges."

"That might be," he answered, "But I wonder how Alexa and the others are doing with their swimming."

"Hmm, me too," replied Nagisa, "Why is Alexa separated from all of us? The parents just kept him in a solo group."

"Well he is with Aki, Sousuke and you Haruka-senpai and with Rin-senpai, right? For the freestyle individual?" asked Rei.

"Yes," said Haruka.

"He should do one of the medley races with us!" smiled Nagisa, "That could cheer him up!"

* * *

In another room…

Alexa stood on the diving block and lowered himself, preparing to practice his diving again. After a moment of silence, he propelled himself off and finally hit the water correctly and made his way through the freestyle.

Sergi walked in with Seijuurou and Takuya while the former went up to the benches and watch. The other two joined up to the older brother and complimented him on the diving.

"Thanks!" he smiled, "I'm so glad to finally make it."

"The others are requesting you to join a relay," said Seijuurou.

"…I…um…I'll think about it," he answered, "I just don't know if I'm ready."

"Well then let the others know soon, alright?" asked the red-haired.

Alexa got out from the pool and walked to the locker rooms. As he got dressed, he heard strange, harsh whispers echoing around.

 _I keep hearing this_ , he thought, feeling frightened, _why?_

 ** _"It's calling for you…"_** echoed the whisper.

"Leave me alone!" said Alexa, covering his ears.

 ** _"Your friends cannot protect you…"_** the voice continued.

"STOP IT!" he cried, going down to his knees.

 ** _"You're the savior…save yourself…before it's too late,"_** the voice said.

"GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" shouted Alexa, unleashing a blast of water across the room that narrowly missed Makoto, Haruka, Rei and Nagisa. He gasped to see them as he was worried that he might have hurt them.

"A-Alexa!?" asked Makoto, rushing over to him while Rei and Nagisa stayed behind Haruka in fear.

"It's alright," said the olive-oiled haired boy, "It's just us. You and I."

Alexa looked at him and answered, "I keep hearing things…its scary. The reason why I can't swim with others is because I'm worried I'll hear these noises and I'll disturb our competition!"

"You heard something? What was it?" asked Makoto, hugging him.

"Whispers…it keeps saying the same thing over and over again," he replied, blushing at the hug.

"Do you hear it at night time too?" asked the taller boy.

"I do…sometimes," said Alexa, "It's scary!"

"Then come to my bed," smiled Makoto, "I'll keep you safe at all costs!"

"Rei-chan you should sleep with me too!" chuckled Nagisa, "I know sometimes you get scared from nightmares also!"

"NAGISAAA!" answered Rei, blushing.

* * *

As time continued to pass onwards, the Magic Six began to train further into swimming and their magical water abilities. Haruka, Rin, Sousuke, and Alexa mastered the freestyle while Makoto and Momotarou specialized the backstroke. Ikuya, Nagisa and Nitori worked on their breaststrokes while Rin, Sousuke, Seijuurou, and Rei participated on their butterflies.

Deciding to become better-rounded, Rin, Alexa, and Rei went further in training with Nao and Natsuya to work on all four of the swimming styles.

* * *

**1 Year After:**

Sousuke made his way through the butterfly as quickly as he possible. He could feel the strength of his arms and legs while Rin readied himself on the block. As soon as he touched the wall, Rin soared his way in as Sousuke was amazed as time slowed down.

Once it was over, the four saw their times and realized that it was still a very, very slow improvement.

"Well at least we're doing the best we can!" smiled Rin, "Soon we'll be able to show off the kingdom and…"

"Forget it," said Sousuke, "It's not for me."

"Eh?" asked Rin while Momo and Nitori looked at Sousuke.

"I don't like losing because of someone else's errors nor having to split the victory up," he answered, "I think it's kinda lame."

"EHHH!?" growled Rin as he grabbed Souske by the goggles while Momo, Nitori, and one of the female instructors separated the two.

"Y-you…" said Rin, "How could you say that?!"

"GENTLEMEN!" shouted one of the instructors, separating the two, "Settle down!"

* * *

Rin sat down on the bench away from Sousuke as the two shared an awkward silence in between.

"How could you say this to me?" asked Rin, "I thought we all agreed to do this?!"

"I…I just…don't think I am compatible with a team," he answered, "I just…prefer to swim solo against the world!"

"A-against the world?" asked Rin, confused.

"Yeah," muttered Sousuke, "I mean, how you can trust your teammates? What if any one of them decided to go against you?"

"Sousuke…" began Rin but the other boy got up and said, "I'll see you later…if I even come back."

"Y-You're not going to quit are you!?" he gasped.

"…I won't, but…I'm not going to do things your way," replied Sousuke, " _I'm going to join the Water Knights._ "

Rin's eyes widened in shock as Sousuke walked away from this scene while the latter cried to himself silently. The red-haired wouldn't understand Sousuke even though they shared a lot of things in common; from playing rock-paper-scissors, to watching the shoreline and other games they would play.

He got up and watched Sousuke walking further away as if it was the end…

* * *

**5 Years after that (about 14 – 15 years old): In the Palace Gardens**

"Haru," said Rin, looking up at him to the tree.

"Hm?" asked the dark-haired boy.

Rin used his magic to create a bubble staircase for him to climb on until he reached to Haruka.

"Is something the matter?" asked Haruka.

"No not really but…I've been curious," he answered, "How fast are you? Have you kept track of times?"

"I don't," said Haruka.

"But why?" asked Rin, "You know we have to keep those times for our personal records and what not!"

"I just…" began Haruka but sighed, "What do you want from me?"

"Hm, I like that," said Rin, "But…I must ask you; can you race with me? I want to test us to see…who's better."

Haruka's eyes narrowed slightly as he was already having a bad feeling about this. He turned to him and answered, "Fine. But you have to promise me one thing."

"Eh?" asked Rin.

"Whether you win or lose, don't take this as a way to feel guilty upon your actions," said Haruka.

* * *

**Hawakoto Palace Library**

Nagisa yawned as he and Rei were working on some notes to prepare for the upcoming exams. Even though they were given a bunch of different classes compared to the rest of the kingdom's students and scholars, they were all still treated the same.

"Rei-chan's so smart!" smiled the blond, "I wish I could be like you!"

"Nagisa, I think you're doing fine," replied Rei, "Is something the matter?"

"I…I just don't like how we are being tossed with more projects and deadlines!" he sighed, "It's not fair! We still got swimming practices and magical lessons too!"

"That may be the case but don't forget there's a bunch of students who are working to become the next Water Knights and their scouts and other rangers and they hardly get any sleep," replied the megane.

"Maybe…" he answered.

"I'll help you, Nagisa," said Rei, "Just show me what you don't understand at and we'll start from there. I certainly don't want to disappoint ama-chan!"

* * *

_Later that night…_

Rin stayed up reading some books about certain swimming techniques that he found fascinating. He lost to Haruka earlier today and despite holding back the tears, he was starting to get frustrated. Every time he competed Haru, it was like an endless pit of losing.

He wanted to at least win for once…but how?

With careful planning, he asked Rei to locate a book about swimming in larger bodies of water though the megane was slightly suspicious. In the end, he found the book and the red-haired thanked him.

I'm going to do this, he thought, and no one will stop me!

Rin got up from his bed and chanted, "Waters of teleport…take me to the shore!"

The red-haired opened his eyes and found himself at the western coast just as planned. The skies were clear and blue as the stars glittered all around.

"Amazing," he smiled as he felt the cooling breeze sweeping in. The endless ocean seemed all peaceful and calm.

"Alrighty," he said, "I have kept the cache hidden somewhere…ah there!"

Underneath a pile of logs were a few kickboards, poles, and some weights that he took in secret and was ready to try this regime on his own. He grabbed one of the kickboards and put on the chained weight to his ankle in order to build up some stamina.

He carefully made his way into the ocean but not far enough to be on the deep. He made sure that his feet touched the floor.

Rin swam his way across a certain length until he reached his goal and turned back around to add on the extra mile. It was indeed worth the exercise despite his legs starting to get a bit exhausted.

"So nice out…" smiled Rin, looking at the stars, "I wish I could swim happily with the others and…"

He gasped as he saw a massive growth of clouds looming over the coastline, creeping up like a rapid herd stampede. Thunder clasped and lightning struck, forcing Rin to make his way back to shore. However, the ocean waters began to turn violent as Rin was screaming out.

* * *

Akeno woke up with a gasp and rushed to Rin's bedroom as the lightning flashed in the scenery. She turned on the lights and saw the empty bed.

"Toraichi!" she shouted, horrified as she ran back, "HONEY WAKE UP!"

* * *

Sousuke, Nitori, Momo, and a bunch of other Water Knights woke up to the alarms going around as one of the princes went mission. After finding out that it was Rin, Sousuke felt sick to his stomach.

 _What is he doing_ , thought Sousuke.

With orders from the royal family and to the authorities of the Water Knights, several of them were dispatched on a search for Rin across the island while the parents tried to locate the missing child through the magic.

However they realized that a cloud of darkness flooded over the area as they realized that it blocked some of their powers out.

Haruka felt shaken by this as he recalled Rin attitude earlier today echoing his mind:

_I can't do this anymore! You ALWAYS WIN! I WANT TO QUIT!_

"R-Rin…" he muttered silently.

"Haru-chan?" asked Nagisa.

"Haru?" asked Makoto.

Alexa immediately could tell that Haruka was really hiding something about this and that he was blaming himself deep inside. He walked up to him and said, "It's going to be alright. We'll find him."

"I know…but you guys will only slow me down," he answered, "I have to confront this alone! This is a problem that Rin and I must solve together!"

"H-Haruka-senpai!" replied Rei but Haruka already unleashed his teleport spell, sending himself to the trail that led to the coastline.

* * *

Sousuke rushed through the woods with Momo while Nitori went to the other coast with Kazuki and the other Water Knights searched through the Jangwa meadows, the forests, and a few other disclosed locations.

"He didn't walk through this way," muttered Momo, "Did he use magic?"

"It's a possibility but where could he have went?" asked Sousuke.

"Oh look there's footprints here!" said Momo, pointing to a small trail of feet.

"Alright, let's take it then and hope he didn't get too far!" replied Sousuke.

They continued to make their way when they saw someone going over the rocks. Momo gasped in horror while Sousuke's expression was just in pure shock and near paralyzed.

"Go alert the others!" said Sousuke, "I'll take it from here!"

Before Momo could protest, Sousuke rushed out through the last part of the meadows and heading towards the rocky ledge of the coastline. Sousuke realized that it was Haruka as the other boy waddled his way into the sea and swimming out towards Rin.

The disturbing part though was the storm wasn't a natural looking one; it was a cloud of darkness that seemed familiar to him.

 _T-that storm of darkness_ , he thought.

Sousuke was almost to the sands when he lost his footing and slipped on the rocks, knocking his head out in the process as he stumbled to unconsciousness.

* * *

Haruka struggled his way through the tossing waves but had not lost sight of Rin as the red-haired was becoming exhausted in the fight of the storm. He turned to see Haruka and reached out his hand.

"HARUUUU!" he shouted.

The two struggled to reach to their hands but as soon as they did, a blast of blue and red light shined off of them, dispelling the darkness and the seas calmed down. Rin's face grew teary and embarrassed with sadness mixed.

"Rin…" said Haruka, "Why the hell did you go out?! Don't you realize what you've done!?"

"…I'm sorry Haru," he answered, "The truth is…I envy your swimming…but at the same time, I'm inspired…but no matter how hard I try…"

"I may swim fast but…" replied Haruka, swimming with him towards shore, "I just don't pay attention to my times or competition…it's not my nature. I hate racing…but…I enjoy becoming one with the water. That's how I swim fast…I don't struggle for times, I open my heart to what I see as I swim.

"Rin, if you want to beat me in a race, then you have to put your heart out to the water and ignore the times…"

"But…" he began, "How is that even a race?"

The two reached to shore finally when they both saw someone on the rocks. They rushed over and gasped in horror to see Sousuke bleeding out from his shoulder.

"N-No! NOOO!" cried Rin, horrified.

"I-Is that…?" gasped Haruka.

"Sousuke…" breathed Rin, checking on the other boy, "Haru! We have to get him back! Hurry!"

"Rei has mastered his healing powers! We should get him!" he replied.

"I'll take us there, hang on!" shouted Rin.

* * *

The three appeared back at the palace when one of the nurses spotted them and alerted the royal parents to meet up with them. Akeno rushed to her son and hugged him with tears of relief while Toraichi examined the injuries on Sousuke.

"Where's everyone else?' asked Haruka.

"Waiting at the main hall," replied Toraichi before he looked at Rin. The son was horrified to look at his father's eyes, knowing that he is in severe trouble. With a nod, Haruka walked over to the main hall, worried about this issue but he knew that Rin will have to face his own consequences.

"Why did you go out?" asked the father.

"I…I just wanted to be a better swimmer," he said.

"By doing what you just did?!" he shouted.

"Torai! He's horrified right now, can't you see?!" cried Akeno, "Don't give him anymore grief like this!"

"Then he will stay in his room and write letters of apology to Haruka, Sousuke, and to the water knights. Also, no more swimming for a week!" he replied.

Moments later, Rei walked outside with the other families.

"I…I can help, please let me," said Rei, "We all love Rin and Sousuke's help is greatly appreciated."

After a nod from Akeno, the megane walked over to the unconscious knight trainee and waved his hand over to at least close up the bleeding through there was still stiffness on Sousuke's shoulder.

"That's enough for the night," said Daisuke, "Come now. Resume to your beds."

Hosoya walked into the scenes as the children were sent back to their dorms as he saw his son being carried by the nurses back to the hut.

* * *

**Next Day:**

Rei sat down in the library again, reading a book about some healing magic when he heard Nagisa approaching.

"Rei-chan!" smiled Nagisa.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Everything okay?" replied the blond, "You don't seem like yourself."

"I'm fine," he answered, "I just…"

"Just what?" asked Nagisa.

"I guess it's no use for me to hide my thoughts, right?" asked Rei, "Fine, I'll tell you but you have to keep this secret between us. You got it?"

Nagisa nodded as Rei answered, "When I was healing Sousuke last night, I wasn't able to heal the wound; just the bleeding stopped."

"But you've mastered quite a lot of healing powers, what stopped you?" asked Nagisa.

"…I don't know but I felt a tint of shadow inside of him even though he's conscious. My powers are almost like Alexa's except he can only detect emotions of the living…I can detect emotions of those who are semi-conscious or even unconscious," explained the megane.

"Like how I sometimes can see the dead!" gasped the blond.

"Hush!" he replied, "We can't let anyone else hear this. I'm frightened that Sousuke is going to go after Haruka-senpai and we must be the ones by his side."

"But why can't we tell Haru-chan?" asked Nagisa.

"It's for the best…we can't bring up anything that will make things worse," said Rei, "Well just have to make sure that neither of them get as close contact."

"However, what's the main secret…what did you find exactly about Sousuke?" asked Nagisa.

"…It's just as what Rin told us; he wants to swim solo against him, not as a team," he said, "The reason is that he…"

Rei looked over his shoulder before he whispered the truth to Nagisa silently. The blond's expression turned a bit grim and almost sad-like.

"I see," said Nagisa.

"That's why…we have to keep them away," replied Rei, "I don't want Haruka-senpai nor Sousuke-senpai to get hurt."

"But Rin-chan though…" answered the blond.

"Not as long as he knows our plan," said Rei, fixing up his glasses.

* * *

**3 Years Later: Makoto's Discovery (about 17 – 18 years old for the main heroes)**

The tall green-eyed young man walked his way through the corridors of the Tachibana family when he stopped to look at a painting of the Magic Six when they were kids. The family hired an artist to draw them standing together at the beach at the edge of the coastline of the water and sand.

Since then, the real copy was placed in the hallway of the Tachibana's and anyone going this way would always see such a marvelous piece of art.

However, another glance at it drew his attention when he saw a strange symbol next to him and Alexa. He was tempted to touch it but was worried that his oil from the hands would damage the pain. But a second look realized that it was actually a button. He pressed on it and the mural shifted around to reveal a passageway.

Worried that someone would head this way, Makoto used his water magic to dissolve into a mist-like cloud and drifted his way through the dark tunnel. When he got to the other side, he saw that it was a chamber that connected to the six palaces together and it was filled with various chemicals, tools and other seemingly magical objects.

"A-Amazing…" he muttered, walking over to the table where he saw a bunch of notes written by the late Queen Idaina's handwriting. However, it looked like the other queens were writing some notes as well.

"W-what is this?"

Makoto picked up the book and blew the dust off before reading some of the random pages he opened to. He saw a strange picture of what looked like a human brain and a wave of energy being absorbed into a small tube.

"Removing memories…wait a sec," he gasped as he dropped the book.

The tall man walked over to a cupboard and opened to see six vials with names of himself and the others on it. Makoto grabbed the vial of green fluid with his name on it and wondered if it was safe to drink. Giving it a shot, he opened it and gulped it down.

At first nothing happened but then his body screamed as a pain of fire scorched through his body and mind, taking him back to the past in ripples of visions.

_"WAKE UP! DON'T GIVE INTO THIS! ALEXXAAAAAA!" shouted the Young Makoto's voice._

_"N-no….m-my true name i-is…" moaned Alexa's voice_

_"The future resides on the other side of our choices. You hesitated just now to keep the rules intact…but doing so…"_

**_"This mark placed on him this very day belongs to the Dark Ones. In time, the darkness will grow more intense and by the sunset of his 21_ ** **_st_ ** **_birthday…his breath will be…the last."_ **

_"You seem to know some magic. But even as you master your powers…you will not win. The next time you try to attack me, you will die!" the Dark One's voice echoed._

_"My magic won't work because this monster isn't from this land. This monster has a stronger level of dark magic compared to my own and the Mark of Death will indeed kill him on that birthday unless if someone is willing to take in his place," said Theagenes._

_"We need to protect our children from the truth for now," argued Tatsuhisa, "I know this is already a big problem as it is but we can't let it leaked out."_

_"We must also remove our other children's' memories of the purification as well as the kingdom's memories," said Tatsuhisa, "Before sunrise…"_

_"I keep hearing things…its scary. The reason why I can't swim with others is because I'm worried I'll hear these noises and I'll disturb our competition!"_

_"You heard something? What was it?" asked the young Makoto, hugging him._

_"Whispers…it keeps saying the same thing over and over again," replied the young Alexa, blushing at the hug._

Makoto breathed heavily and clutched his fist to his heart before spilling tears; finally the truth made sense! The Royal Family took the memories away of that tragic past!

"F-father…" he muttered, shaken by this, "W-why did you do this…?"

"Forgive me…" said a voice as Makoto turned to see him, "I really had no choice."

Makoto's expression was deeply in pain as he replied, "This whole time I was right…the sight I've been seeing on Alexa…that mark on his body. You were lying…I wanted to believe you…and mother.

"Makoto please, we were just trying to protect you all and…" he began when Makoto was walking way and grabbing the rest of the vials when Tatsuhisa grabbed him by the arm and said, "STOP! Listen to me! I'm your father!"

The son looked at him with his paralyzed expression before he answered, _"I don't care."_

Tatsuhisa stood speechless and Makoto left the room with the vials that contained the missing memories. He had to give them back so they could try to figure out how to save Alexa.

* * *

Makoto was on his way out to find the others when he saw Rin coming in his direction.

"Makoto!" smiled Rin before he realized that his facial expression was not normal, "W-what happened?"

"Come with me," he replied as the two went to the tree where Haru would go to but this time he wasn't there.

"Good, there's still time, but I have to hurry," said Makoto, handing the vial of red fluid to Rin.

"W-what the hell is that?" asked Rin, "Blood?"

"No. It's memories," he replied.

"M-Memoires?" asked the red-hair, "Of what?"

"About us…when we were kids, this is the answer to why I have been seeing Alexa and his behavior for the last 11 years," explained Makoto, "Just drink it and it'll make sense."

Rin took the vial and drank it and finally saw the series of visions that Makoto encountered. He was in literal shock for mere moments. As soon as he was back to reality, he looked at Makoto and said, "Don't give the vials to the others."

"W-what?!" gasped Makoto, "But they have to know the truth!"

"I understand but…it's been too painful for you and I to hold this," said Rin, "We'll keep them safe though when the time comes but we have to figure this out together."

"But you always said 'for the team'," replied Makoto, "Why are you backing out on this?"

"…it's already painful enough that we know," said Rin, "Besides I've been holding several issues on my own as well. Our parents were right, we have to set this pain aside and just take in what we have."

"R-Rin…" began Makoto, feeling upset by this response before he answered, "Then what are you going to do then if I keep this promise?"

"I won't tell the others either," said Rin, "As long as you don't say anything, I won't either."

Makoto sighed for a moment before he answered, "Fine. But you and I though, we got work to do. I'll meet you in the library later on."

"Where are you going?" asked Rin.

"Some fresh air," lied Makoto as he was already formulating a plan in his mind.

* * *

Makoto arrived at Sousuke's hut and saw the young man cleaning out his weapons. Sousuke gasped a little to see Makoto here as he wasn't really expecting anyone.

"I'm sorry to bother you," said Makoto, "But I need to ask you a favor for me."

"Is something the matter?" asked Sousuke.

"I know this is a concern of my own and Alexa, but I need to tell you this. In case if I fail to protect him. But I need you to keep this a secret from anyone, including Alexa," he answered.

"Protect him?" Sousuke answered, confused.

Makoto took a small deep breath before answering, _"Alexa was born with the potential for great darkness."_

 _"_ But if he's the Savoir of this world," said Sousuke, "A hero. His magic is as light as it gets."

"It's because I failed to protect him…during the purification," replied Makoto, "A tragic event happened and because of me, I…I am responsible for him now more than ever."

"How do you know about that?" asked Sousuke.

"I found a vial that contained memories of that day. After I drank it, I understood why Alexa acts so strange sometimes…and I could also see weird things happening to him also," said Makoto.

"I…don't understand," replied Sousuke, "None of this makes sense. What exactly did you do to him and what is going to happen to him?"

"Because of me, Alexa is destined to die on the sunset of his 21st birthday," he answered, "The Dark One cursed him by giving him the Mark of Death."

Sousuke's eyes widened a little as Makoto continued, "Since I found out that truth, I'm going to research all what I can…finding everything about Dark Magic."

"I'm so sorry," replied Sousuke, "I wish I could help you but my father does know some stuff about Dark Magic and the Dark Ones. Maybe he can be of some help."

"That would be great, Sousuke, thank you," smiled Makoto before he headed out the door.

**~Episode 8 END~**

* * *

**~Episode 9 PV~**

Kei: Now it's time...

Shouyou: You think you can take this world to yourself!?

Alexa: And who is this Chernboyl person to be exact?!

Kei: NONE OF YOU ARE TO BE IN MY WAY!

Makoto: ALEXA WATCH OUT!

Rei: No matter what happens, we will reunite the two sports together!

Nagisa: Make that three, Rei-chan!

Haruka: Next Time, Free! **_Operation Haikyuu! Part 1 - The Elephant's Foot_** -

Rin: We'll definitely show you all a sight you've never seen before! Our true powers united as one!

* * *

**Mini-Break Announcement:**

_I will be out for Christmas from the 23rd - 30th for another trip to Phoenix, Arizona! However, I will finish up MomoTori's Arc by the 21st but there will be no updates on the 23rd. Book 2 will conclude before January 6, 2016!  
_

_Stay tuned! Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy Water Days and Happy All Holidays to whatever I miss!_

_Cheers,_

_~AveraxMagna_


	10. Chapter 10

**_Episode 9:_ ** **_オペレーション_ ** **_ハイキュー_ ** **_! -_ ** **_パート_ ** **_1_ ** **_：象の足_ ** **_  
Operation Haikyuu! – Part 1: Elephant's Foot!_ **

"水泳と楽しの、マジック神 美男子戦士, 水泳葉月！私の債券と友情のために、あなたが出ています！"

(I am the Swimming Guardian, who fights for Breaststroke and Fun! I am Suiei Hazuki! You won't get away with the fun stuff that will make a bite!)

* * *

Shouyou twirled the rod, granting the volleyball players and other villagers the ability to fly. It was going to be a long journey to return but they knew that it was going to be all worth it. Gaardus screeched and used its powers to bring the vehicles back to the Magic Six.

"Well we could just teleport," muttered Nagisa, boarding on the Axalara T9 with Rei.

"We have to make sure there are still people out in the desert so we can collect them," replied Rei, "This won't be an easy task."

Makoto and Alexa boarded on the Rockoh T9 and Rin and Haruka got onto the Jetrax T6. Natsu and Shouyou turned to the hundreds of people and they managed to float a little bit off the ground though many of the crowd members weren't expecting this.

"Gaardus, can you find a direct path from here?" asked Rin.

The Phoenix screeched and created a hologram map as Sou and Aone analyzed their coordinates and their position on the globe. After a few moments, they calculated the distances and the hours it was going to take.

"We'll make it back in several hours," said Sou, "But if we can find a way to improve our speed…"

"An instant teleportation would be nice," muttered Aone, "But I guess we can't just waste the magic here at once."

"I have no idea how much magic this rod holds," replied Shouyou, "But our concern is to make sure Kei isn't upon us."

"Well let's get going," said Tobio, "We got a long journey ahead."

The Magic Six turned on the vehicles and soared around huge circles as the folks began to float their way up higher and higher to the skies and beginning their journey back home.

* * *

**Back in Sportsbrooke:**

As the heroes began their journey back to the mega city, the inhabitants continued to construct new places and mapping out new features for the ruined city of Karasuno. The Vorpal Swords and their friends directed several of the construction sites. They wanted to make sure that this new city would become an inspiration into further expansion of the residency as well as the facilities.

Kuroko smiled at the sight as he was thankful to have done it this way rather than using magic of the Princess Goddess.

"This will be wonderful for Shouyou and the others," he said.

"I couldn't agree with you more," replied Midorima as he inspected the new design of the building while Murasakibara ate another bag of chips and stared out.

"I hope that Natsu will like it too," said Akashi, "I really owe them so much."

Kagami on the other hand watched a bunch of people planting trees and setting up a series of gardens and fountains.

"Hehe, Natsuchii will like it here, I'm sure of it!" smiled Kise.

Aomine rolled his eyes and said, "You don't even know her and you already add -chii to her name!"

"Sounds like we'll have another big warming ceremony then," answered Midorima, "New people to contact."

"So uhhhh, what are we going to name this town? Just Karasuno?" asked Kagami.

"I don't know. Maybe Shouyou will have some ideas," shrugged Akashi, "Maybe he might name something after his father?"

"I just hope that they won't name it Crow Town..." said Murasakibara.

Kuroko almost face palmed and thought, _naming the new city..._

 _These guys are making it as a project as if they were working_ , thought Midorima with a sigh.

Riko and Momoi arrived to the guys and saw them discussing about the city.

"Hey do you ladies got any ideas of naming this town?" asked Aomine.

"Hmmm...I don't have any ideas. How about you Momoi?" shrugged Riko as she couldn't think of a name.

"Maybe Neo Karasuno?" asked Momoi, "It's after all, a rebirth."

"I guess," shrugged Kagami.

"Oh I just love it! Momoicchi you are the best!" smiled Kise.

"Come on then, we better go split up and check on the workers and give them a hand," said Midorima, "Break's over."

"I will be at the Temple of Time to see how the others are progressing," said Kuroko, "I don't want any of our allies getting injured out there."

He turned to Kagami and added, "Be sure you get the town line ready for their return."

"Let's go Aominecchi!" chuckled Kise as he grabbed the blue-haired man and dragged him off.

"Oi!" he shouted as he shook his head but continued to follow him to one of the working sites.

"I'm going to help with the park," said Murasakibara.

"I'll prepare a few other things…and I'll join you soon, Kagami," nodded Akashi.

The girls watched the gentlemen moving out as they smiled to themselves. Thanks to the efforts of the Magic Six, it was all becoming a better atmosphere for the people.

"I'm glad they're all grown up to be leaders," smiled Riko, "Basketball may be their lives and ours but…we can't let it just be the only thing in this town."

"I for one…would like to see how volleyball works," agreed Momoi, "I've used to hear stories about that sport growing up and the Small Giant's Legacy."

"Not to mention his children!" added Riko, "I hope we can meet them soon!"

"We should go too and check up on the other guys," said Momoi, "It's gonna be a long day ahead of us."

* * *

**Flashback: 13 Years Ago…The Northern Spike Mountains**

For eons, after Olympia Magna shattered, a bunch of the inhabitants left in the desert world fled through the sands to find mountains in order to replenish the limited resources. It was proven a success and it allowed some development of technology for further projects.

Several nomads grew and died for generations to grow. It was after all, a new chance to live despite the limited known lands across these mountains.

In one of the wealthier areas of the farmland, the two Tsukishima brothers went through another pass across their farmland, feeding the crops with water and planting the seeds to grow fruits and vegetables. Their family business was a farmer's market filled with organic products of all kinds.

"Did you plant the beansprouts yet?" asked Akiteru.

"I did," said Kei, holding the basket, "It's already prepared for the water. And here is the basket of tomatoes."

"I swear, we have to add some scarecrows to the fields. Those nasty crows are at it again," sighed the older brother.

"Why not we make explosives?" asked Kei.

"That's crazy; we'd lose our resources!" replied Akiteru.

"Sorry," said Kei.

* * *

Kouchi turned to see his sons returning from the fields as he prepared the tractor for the run. Their mother brought over some breakfast of eggs, bacon, toast and some juice for them. The radio was playing Charley's Girl in the background.

Kei looked up to see the trophy on the shelf that said, "Finest Volleyball Team – Olympia Magna."

"Father, what is volleyball?" asked Kei, knowing that he wasn't going to get an answer. He was always curious about this kind of sport that was rumored to be a game back before the world was shattered.

"It's a game," said the father, "Of keeping the ball from touching the ground but passing it around and over the net."

"E-eh?!" gasped Kei, "How is that possible?"

"It's simple; using your hands, feet or even the head. Whatever it takes," he answered.

"You never told us about your life or this sport that you were a part of," said Akiteru, "Please tell us."

"We'll talk after you boys finish your school," replied Kouchi.

* * *

**During Lunch Break:**

When it was finally time to eat lunch, the students ate outside by the playgrounds in picnic tables or some ate inside in the cafeteria. Kei sat outside with his two friends.

"Wow so your father played volleyball!?" asked one of the boys.

"Yeah, he did," smiled Kei, eating his sandwich, "But that was a long time ago though…"

"It is," said the girl, "there's no way that he could have lived for 150,000 years or more though! How did he even get to this point in time?"

"Time travel?" shrugged the boy.

"That's what I think," said Kei, "There's a rumor about that magician called Theagenes. I wonder if that's how father came here."

"But that's just crazy!" replied the girl, "No one can achieve such magic or ability!"

"Well my father has been hiding some secrets," shrugged Kei, "Maybe he did time travel. I also heard rumors that a very famous volleyball player is living in that new town of Sportsbrooke or something like that."

"The city hasn't been built quite yet but there are some small villages there," said the boy.

"Maybe we'll have a chance to meet him! I can't wait to tell big brother about this!" replied Kei.

"That's not gonna be easy though to leave here," sighed the girl as they continued to eat their packed lunches.

* * *

**Later:**

"I'm home!" shouted Kei as he returned safely in the midafternoon of the farm. The older brother was already home from a different school schedule but continued to work on the crops. Kei sighed and stretched out his legs and arms before going back to work.

 _I forgot mom and dad were out selling the fruits of our labour_ , thought Kei, _so much for being cheerful._

Kei stopped at the fields as he saw Akiteru standing over by the tractor in horror as a puddle of blood leaked from the father. The young boy gasped in horror before screaming as the emergency arrived to take the father into the medic.

"W-WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN TO HIM!" cried Kei as he tugged on Akiteru's shirt.

The elder brother held him by his chest as Kei was too scared to even look at the scene happening. It was a few days later that the father was pronounced dead as parts of the vehicle squashed a serious chunk of his head.

* * *

Days after the funeral for their father, life on the farm was becoming extremely difficult as neither of them knew much of "art" on farming like the father learned. The produce suffered and eventually the bankers and other money sharks began to harass the mother.

One evening, Akiteru was looking around the house to find the night candle when he saw a strange looking trap door on the floor. He slowly opened it and saw a set of stairs that led down before. Akiteru woke up Kei and the two descended down to investigate this unknown part of the house.

The two gasped and saw a massive treasure mount of gold, silver, and all sorts of other valuables. Was it all real or just a dream?

"A-amazing…" gasped Akiteru.

"Father worked hard to make this fortune!" said Kei.

"We probably shouldn't be down here though," replied Akiteru, "If anyone outside the family sees us…"

"Wait a sec, what's that orb?" asked Kei.

The two saw an orb sitting gently on a metallic stand. Kei walked over to it and grabbed the golden object and saw the name of "Theagenes" etched on it.

"Oh my…" gasped Kei, "It's Theagenes!"

"Indeed it is, dearie," said a voice.

The two turned around and saw the Dark Magician standing before them who said, "I've been looking for that object for the last few times. It keeps vanishing from me whenever I take people in time travel."

"Y-you exist!?" gasped the older brother.

"Of course I do, I have my own fancy mansion in the Great Jungle," said Theagenes, "But I am going to soon install a store in the newly developed city for further business expansion."

"If the legend is true, the one who carries the orb has the ability to command you, isn't it?" asked Kei.

"Yes," said Theagenes, "I could lie but you have the orb so I must obey."

"Do you know anything about our father?" asked Kei, "He died recently and we only know bits of pieces on what he told us. Is everything he said was true?"

"Indeed…he speaks of the past quite nicely," replied Theagenes, "The Legend of the Small Giant…the Birth of Volleyball…the Silver War…and of course Prince Julius and his kingdom."

"We want to get out of this land," said Kei, "The money sharks are harassing mother and…"

"Kei but if we do that, mom…" began Akiteru.

"Looks like you have some doubt," observed Theagenes, "You want to leave this town and start a new life but you want to keep this land to keep father's memory alive."

"Well I don't want to leave, leave the mountains," said Akiteru, "I don't mind looking for a better spot in this area. I could be of some help. We can start our own land and make a new business!"

"But…" began Kei.

"It's for the best," replied the older brother, "We can't waste all of this treasure."

"I can make of a deal for the three of you," said Theagenes, "If you are willing to pay this price."

"For what?" asked Kei.

"I can put all of these wealth into a single object just like those new plastic cards that are being made. Each time you use it will lose the value but by working you regain the gold pieces," explained Theagenes, "In return, I will fight off those pathetic suitors as long as you be responsible for the money."

Kei and Akiteru looked at each other as the latter said, "I'll take the money to find the new place. I promise to be careful!"

"But what about me?" asked Kei.

"It'll be a temporally home," said Akiteru, "Maybe if we can convince mom, we can move to Sportsbrooke."

Kei smiled and agreed to this arrangement. Clearly, this was going to bring a brighter future for them even though it would be hard to let go of this memory.

* * *

**Present Day: Olympus Desert**

The long journey began as the hundreds of people flew in the skies with the Magic Six on the vehicles, heading east back to Sportsbrooke.

"Such a lovely view, don't you think?" asked Shouyou.

"It's really beautiful; I wish we could fly around all the time," smiled Natsu.

Tobio chuckled as Aone made a rare smile and said, "I'm glad they both reconciled."

Sou saw the rare smile on Aone's face and smiled in with a laugh, "Haven't seen that lovely face of yours!"

"Shut up!" answered Aone with a blush.

"Rei-chan I wanna fly like this with you!" smiled Nagisa.

"Maybe a ride out over the city when this is over," he said.

"Alexa," said Makoto, "I know it's been a tough journey so far but I'm so glad you've been helpful."

"I…" he began, "I just…Makoto…when this is over…I think we deserve some lovely time together."

"Of course!" agreed Makoto.

"I mean…more than just that," he answered as he gently caressed his lover's muscular back as Makoto tried hard not to blush and lose focus on the driving.

"You remember the promise," said Haruka quietly to Rin.

"Yeah, yeah, just once everything is settled down. Maybe we should let Gaardus know too?" asked Rin.

"Who knows," shrugged Haru.

Shouyou turned his head and gasped as he and a bunch of other guys saw a black explosion of energy soaring up towards them.

"WATCH OUT!" shouted Hajime.

Rei, Rin, and Makoto carefully aimed their blasters from their vehicles and fired the Midak Skyblasters. Upon contact with the shadows, an explosion of energy nearly blinded them as Gaardus threw up a shield to block the explosion of the light.

When the dust settled, Kei Tsukishima and Chernobyl floated in front of them with an army of mutated flying creatures.

"It's over!" said Shouyou, "You lost! I know what you've done to all of us!"

"You didn't make a better choice," replied Kei.

"You're right I didn't. But I got help from father and the Suiei Gods! All of what Chernobyl said was a lie!" answered the orange-haired boy.

"Some information is the truth," replied the shadowed being, "The Legendary Solar Crystal of Destiny; you failed to retrieve it."

"And now we're gonna have to take it by force!" said Kei.

"This isn't like you!" replied Shouyou, "Why are you doing this?!"

"Isn't it obvious?" asked the blond megane, "You are the Small Giant's descendant! You have the reputation that should have been mine!

"And now, I will recreate the substance that shattered Olympia Magna and destroy this planet into bits and that the reformation of the lost world will never happen!"

"How could you be like this, Stingyshima?!" shouted Shouyou, "This is definitely not the way!"

"You won't get away with this!" growled Alexa as he held up his Dragon Crystal Brooch and shouted, _**"DRAGON CRYSTAL POWERRRRRR, MAAAAKKKKKEEEEE UP!"**_

The Dragon Brooch floated above Alexa as the background turned golden orange-yellow with glowing stars drifting around. His nails glowed yellow while a pair of wings grew from the brooch before it exploded into lights. Dragon scales grew from feet to the neck before it exploded out in his transparent form.

Raising his arms up, the armor pads covered his upper limbs while the dragon scales formed over his chest, abs. They shed off, revealing his plates similar to his previous outfit in Solis Power with slightly more ornate and ancient looking.

The same golden-yellow majestic cape grew from the armor and the white loose pants with armor boots with new decorated dragon designs on. The Suiei necklace still kept its golden locket from Julius but still kept the same heart shaped metallic end. His sword appeared to his buckle inside the sheath.

Lastly, his helmet with a scarf covered from behind his head, looking more like a prince than a warrior.

He spun around with his Dragon Kopis Sword at the ready, opening his eyes to see the source of his prey.

 _ **"DOLPHIN STAR POWERRRRRR, MAAAKKKKEEEEE UP!"**_ shouted Haruka.

The Dolphin Star Dagger Wand flickered and then exploded bright blue lights that matched his ocean colored eyes. He grabbed the dagger as his nails turned blue before he danced his way through the transformation sequence. The arms and triceps flexed and twitched the muscles as ripping energy waved through his body.

Haruka gently walked and spun around as he flipped his hair to the right, donning a black shirt with a white cloth above, black pants, a white-blue head cover turban, and a blue-yellow scarf.

Flipping his hair to the left, he donned some blue-green jewelry, a sword covered in a red sheath that attached to a golden belt, and a pair of shoe coverings. His Suiei necklace was tucked beneath his clothing but the powers unleashed were echoing across the area.

He turned his head forward as his transformation was smooth and streamlined like a Dolphin swimming through the rough waves at a constant pace.

Haruka opened his eyes and took his battle stance with his Dolphin Razor Sword at the ready.

 _ **"SHARK STAR POWERRRRRRRRR, MAAAAKKKKKEEEE UP!"**_ chanted Rin.

His Shark Star Dagger Wand flickered and glowed a series of red lights as his body became transparent into the background of his transformation sequence. He grabbed the dagger (his nails turned red) and danced his way through the lights of fire as he could feel the heat of the competition waving through his system.

Rin twirled as his red turban with loose flaps that contained blue-yellow stripes appeared on his head. His cloak was black and red with a white vest undergarment beneath. Raising his hands up, he donned a pair of golden cuffs and his malia bee pendant mixed with his Suiei Necklace.

At the same moment the waters swirled around his lower half before revealing his white lose pants with a buckle that donned his Metallic Shark Sword in a green sheath. He opened his eyes with a smirk on his face as a pair of black shoes covered his feet.

He could feel the fusion of a warrior and a competitive swimmer as one entity ready to take on anything. He crossed his arms together in his badass pose at an angle with a wider smirk by showing his shark teeth.

 _ **"ORCA STAR POWERRRRRRR, MAAAAKKEEEE UP!"**_ cried Makoto.

The Orca Star Dagger Wand shimmered and exploded rays of green light as Makoto's body turned transparent, undergoing his transformation. He grabbed the dagger (his nails turned green) which caused all of muscles across his Posterior Deltoids, Teres Major, Latissimus Dorsi, Oblique Abdominals, Triceps, and the Thoracolumbar Fascia in great definition.

He clasped his hands together as an explosion of electricity and water flowed through his body. Stretching his hands out, he donned a two-layer green outfit with a black-white stripes on his left side. Raising up his left leg, his pants were cream colored with canvas colored shoes that covered his feet.

A golden-yellow colored turban with an orange rim covered his hair while his Suiei Necklace was visibly seen with an orange necklace and other jewelry that decorated his body. He spun around as a blue vase appeared before him.

Makoto opened his eyes with a smile as his innocent-like expression was hidden with a badass attitude that knows no bounds; ready to face off the enemy. He grabbed the vase and readied himself.

 ** _"PENGUIN STAR POWERRRRRR, MAAAAKKKEEEE UP!"_** chanted Nagisa.

The Penguin Star Dagger glowed in pulses before the entire scene turned into a spiral, rosy vortex as he could feel himself spinning fast in a cyclone while being transparent. Nagisa grabbed the dagger (his nails turned magenta) and rotated his arms through the breaststroke pattern while pink ribbons of energy wrapped around his arms and head, donning his golden cuffs and his headpiece.

The blond made a series of cartwheel flips, obtaining the rest of his clothes; the red-white vest, the sashes of purple and the skirt-like pants for his legs. Nagisa made a soft smile and giggle as several penguins made chirping noises in the background, assisting him with the rest of the jewelry and other pieces that were missing.

A two-handed broadsword at the side of his sash while the Suiei necklace appeared beneath his outfit and shined with a pink-ish glow.

He opened his eyes and made another cartwheel flip, summoning the spell book on his hand stand. The book floated next to him with a soft magenta light. He snapped his fingers as the book opened with the pages flipping magically while he readied himself for the battle with his new sword on his right hand and the book floating to his left.

 _ **"BUTTERFLY STAR POWERRRRRRR, MAAAAKKKEEEEE UP!"**_ shouted Rei.

His Butterfly Star Dagger grew out its wings before it unleashed several butterflies soaring around with him. The megane grabbed the dagger (his nails turned purple) and made a cart wheel flip as his transparent body donned his purple-white vest.

Waving out his hands in the butterfly stroke motion, he donned the black sleeves and the golden cuffs on his elbows. The butterflies fused together to form his red turban with the white feather on top before it gently was placed on his head.

He spun around as his red glasses transformed into sliver frames as his lower half of the body morphed out a white pair of loose pants and black shoes. The sash finally formed in multi colors of black, red, and purple where he had his Butterfly Long Riffle attached to his back.

The sash on his waist formed with multiple colors of red, black and purple where his butterfly long riffle was attached on his back. He opened his eyes and readied on his weapon with a badass narrowed expression as if he was ready to fire.

* * *

The Magic Six floated side by side in front of the exodus group as both sides of the battle were finally drawn.

"YOU'LL PAY TO WHAT YOU DID TO SHOUYOU AND THE OTHERS!" shouted Alexa, " ** _For swimming and fortune, I am the Suiei God of Destiny and Understanding! As I, Suiei Marotta…you tampered fate the wrong way, now I'll punish you!"_**

"Attack!" shouted Kei.

"SUIEI CLEANSINGGGG…HALATIONNNNNN!" replied Alexa as the monsters fired several dark shots towards the crowd of people just as Gaardus threw shields up after screeching and flapping his wings in panic.

The bright light struck at Kei and Chernobyl but it didn't faze them at all. Chernobyl used its powers to repel the light and shielding the blond megane.

"Muahaha, you think you can blow away the darkness!?" laughed Chernobyl, "You do have such unparalleled power indeed!"

"I WON'T LET ANYONE ELSE GET KILLED! CHENOBYL! YOU WILL SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES!" shouted Alexa.

 _Alexa_ , thought Shouyou, _you really do have a strong heart…just like father's…_

"Then suffer!" replied the monster as the creatures soared out to attack the group, "ALL OF YOU!"

"NOW YOU GUYS!" shouted Makoto as the others chanted their attacks.

 ** _"MEDLEEEYYYYY, FLIPPPPPING BLASSST!"_** shouted Rin, twirling his Metallic Shark Sword before unleashing his attack.

 ** _"STORMMMYYYY MANDALAAAA!"_** cried Rei as he unleashed the thunderstorm clusters.

 ** _"DOLPHIN MEDLEEEYYY SLAAAASSSSHHHHHH!"_** chanted Haruka, shaping a magical star-circle attack.

 ** _"FROZEN, ICYYYYY, CYCLOOONNNEEEEEE!"_** shouted Nagisa, creating a blast of icicles with his massive sword.

 ** _"ORCA ACCCIIIDDDDD SPLASSHHHHH!"_** yelled Makoto, unleashing a blast from his vase.

The five powers swirled around the light blast from Alexa, smashing at Kei and Chernobyl as the latter growled a sense of pain finally from the combined attacks.

 _So this is the power of the Suiei Gods_ , thought Tobio, _they're risking their lives to help everyone…people that they never met…just to keep this world safe. Is it possible that Shouyou, or anyone of us who play volleyball have magic too?_

Makoto focused his attack on Chernobyl as he drifted his way closer to Alexa and hugged him from behind with his free hand and they smiled together.

Moments later Chernobyl screamed as the blast finally blinded them away into oblivion. Kei was also no longer there as everything was all deathly silent.

Did they actually won? Was it finally over?

Seconds later, an explosion of red light blinded them all around as if the enemy was still present this entire moment. However, the red light was bathed by white light and everyone found themselves right by the town line of Sportsbrooke.

"H-how?!" gasped Rei and Daichi.

"W-we're back!" said Nagisa, "The city is there!"

Rin used his x-ray vision to make sure it wasn't an illusion and it turned out that they were indeed back into the outskirts of the city. Makoto and Alexa checked to the crowd of people and they were all present.

Daigo, Alexandra and Katsunori arrived to them along with a group of the police force.

"How the heck did we get back?" asked Haruka.

"I didn't use the key," said Alexa.

"I did," replied a voice.

Everyone turned to see the Princess Goddess/Kuroko standing before them. She smiled at the sight of all the exiles and welcomed them back home.

"All of you were about to be killed by that deadly attack from Chernobyl," said the goddess, "So thanks to the powers I have learned from Alexa and Daigo, I was able to get you all back here safely."

Shouyou walked up to her and asked, "We thank you for bringing us all back. How will we all fit back…?"

"Your town has become…Neo Karasuno, the home of the newly formed Karasuno White Doves Volleyball Team," smiled the goddess.

His eyes light up as he smiled with the others; finally everything was all coming back into place.

"However, the truth from this entire mess and memories from the past are still not back into your minds yet. Akashi Seijuurou has magic that will return the past memories to each and every one of you folks," she explained.

"Then how…will we get our memories back?" asked Aone.

"We came up with a means to release a powder in the air upon your return. Once you inhale them, everything will be back in place. Memories of the wonderful and painful will be restored to your minds," she answered.

"Princess Goddess," said Makoto, "We still have to defeat Chernobyl and…"

"I know," she replied, "They're still out there in the desert. However, I think this can be done with Alexa, Shouyou and Natsu."

"B-but…" began Rin.

"You guys have another task…and that is to prepare the first-ever Hawakoto Swimming Facility here in Sportsbrooke!" she smiled, "After laws allowed swimming to be legalized, a new facility is almost ready for you guys and we want you to see it."

The other heroes of the Magic Six turned to Alexa and the latter said, "I know we work best as a team but I'm scared that the powers of the Chernobyl crystal will harm you guys again."

"Alexa…are you sure about this?" asked Makoto, "It took all of us to barely get that monster out of harm's way."

"It's just like how we had to fight Kurorima's Evil Shadow," said Alexa, "It took myself, you Mako-chan, and Midorima to defeat it. The goddess is right; I need to expand the powers of my crystal to other people who will be on our side."

"Then we'll pray for you at the Temple of Time," answered Nagisa, "Right Rei-chan?"

"I agree," nodded the megane, "If we can't fight side by side, then at least giving our prayers to you will be a way of fighting from afar."

"I'm going," answered Makoto, "I'm not going to leave his side."

"M-mako-chan," replied Alexa.

"You and I…" he said, "It's meaningless to fight by yourself without someone who has the same power."

Alexa's eyes widened a little as he could feel their love closer and closer as one. After a moment, he nodded, "Yes."

Makoto walked to his side and turned to the others with a smile.

"Please be careful," said Rin as Haruka nodded.

"Akashi wanted me to give this to you personally, Shouyou," said the goddess as he handed him the vial with the orange fluid, "This is the memories that belong to you and your sister. Drink half of each."

Natsu took the vial and opened it and looked at her brother. With a nod, she took a sip and gave the last half of it to Shouyou. Moments later, a wave of flashes struck through their minds as they finally remembered…

_*Their first meeting with Akashi back in Rakuzan and the people who tried to attack them on their trail on the mountains. It was also when Akashi used his power of the emperor eye to send them back to Sportsbrooke to forget this scary moment._

_*Their exile from Sportsbrooke after Kei set up an explosion in the western area of the city and the campaign that they ran to become the Prime Minister._

These few moments finally made sense…Kei was indeed the traitor and he must now pay for his crimes!

"I swear in my father's name…Kei," growled Shouyou, turning to the desert, "You have no idea WHAT'S COMING for you!"

* * *

Kei opened his eyes and realized that he was in a dark void like in those dreams. However, something was off about this. He would come here in times with Shouyou and the other Black Crow members to attend meetings with Chernobyl.

However…

"You remember the price you paid?" asked Chernobyl, "Long ago?"

"I thought it has been fulfilled," he said, "What more could you ask of?"

"You know deep down," replied the cloaked entity, "What you said of him."

Kei narrowed his expression and answered, "This isn't like you. How is it that you know about Theagenes and the Dark Ones?!"

"I am a part of all Dark Ones," replied Chernobyl, "I'm another incarnation of the darkness that sweeps in all universes. So now…you must submit. You've held that power for too long."

"The Elephant's Foot," gasped Kei as he clutched his fist to his chest as the power from long ago was burning up inside.

"You're not gonna get away with this!" he shouted, realizing what was about to happen.

"It's too late," said the monster, "You failed to get the Solar Crystal…I have been badly weakened by The Savior…and now I will need you…to become one of us…BE KILLED NOW!"

Seconds later, a purple beam of energy struck Kei as he screamed in pain, feeling the skin on his body ripping apart slowly. For a moment, he turned his head and thought he saw Alexa standing there with the others.

"K-king…" he moaned before his body exploded.

* * *

Just as the heroes were going to make their separate ways, the skies grew darker as they all heard that scream of pain. The radiation that was from the nuclear meltdown was arriving towards the city. With Kei's death, the life of a human being was the final ingredient to power the Elephant's Foot that Chernobyl longed to use.

"T-this..." gasped the Princess Goddess.

"The radiation!" shouted Rei.

"What the hell is going on!?" cried Rin.

"Hurry!" shouted Daigo, "Get to the town line now and you'll be safe!"

The exodus rushed their way in one by one as evil laughter thundered in the skies. Gaardus used its power to protect the ongoing crowd while the Magic Six, Shouyou and Natsu stayed behind to face off against the monster.

"I've waited long for this moment," echoed the thundering voice of Chernobyl, "To take power into the city and break it and at long last obtain the Solar Crystal!"

Before the Magic Six could make another attack, the vision around them twisted and warped. Moments later, they were falling through the darkness as if they were going through an endless pit.

The image warped around to reveal a medusa-like being in black textures as if it was made out of oil and darkness. The monster chuckled sinisterly as everyone gasped at the appearance.

"C-Chernobyl!? I-Is this your true form?!" shouted Alexa.

"My real name is…Black Sun," replied the entity.

"B-Black Sun?!" gasped Shouyou.

"Born from the darkness in Olympia Magna eons ago…banished by Prince Julius because I broke the core of the planet that leaked out the Energized fluid with help from an ally," said Black Sun, "Sealed away for all eternity until that explosion set by Kei released me! From there I set my malice onto Shouyou and Kei in order to get my revenge to you!"

"And now…I have fully reawakened…with the power of the Elephants Foot Mutation Crystal!"

"Awakened by the what?!" gasped Shouyou.

"He's one now with Kei who had the true seed of the crystal from the Dark One!" concluded Natsu.

"It sounds like that he's been waiting all this time in order to take the life of a human being at the right moment," analyzed Rei.

"I will not allow that…to happen again you shapeless monster of darkness!" growled Alexa, readying his Dragon Crystal Staff.

"Then come on…foolish prince…the future Neo King Julius!" growled Black Sun.

"We will protect this world!" shouted Alexa, _"YOU WILL NOT HAVE THIS PLANET!"_

**~Episode 9 END~**

* * *

**~Episode 10 PV~**

**Makoto:** Alexa, do you remember how much I love you?

 **Alexa:** And that our love will keep the evil away from us.

 **Haruka:** Are you guys going to propose or what?

 **Rin:** Just how are they gonna do that during this fight?!

 **Nagisa:** Rei-chan, we should fight these monsters and then I can propose to you!

 **Rei:** Isn't that a bit unbeautiful...we could lose each other if we're not careful!

 **Rin:** Oi! I think there's a pool!

 **Makoto:** RIN! Now you're gonna be responsible if Haru strips...

 **Shouyou:** Next time, Free! _**Operation Haikyuu Part 2...**_

 **Natsu:** _**Endings and Beginnings**_...onii-chan, let's make the future happen and remember our father!

 **Alexa:** I won't let this monster take this world or our friends and family!


	11. Chapter 11

**_Episode 10:_ ** **_オペレーション_ ** **_ハイキュー_ ** **_! -_ ** **_パート_ ** **_2_ ** **_：_ ** **_終わりと始まり_ ** **_-_ ** **_Robotic Étrangere -  
Operation Haikyuu! – Part 2: Endings and Beginnings; Robotic Étrangere_ **

* * *

"バタフライと美しさの、マジック神美男子戦士、水泳竜ヶ崎! 美しくないものを非難します！"

(I am the Swimming Guardian, who fights for Butterfly and for Beauty! I am Suiei Ryugazaki! In the name of unbeautiful things, I shall chastise you!")

* * *

 **Warning:** Yaoi in this chapter! (MakAl, RinHaru,  & ReiGisa) Let's face it…it's been too long for these guys with a lot of drama and fighting!

* * *

The Magic Six, Shouyou, and Natsu fell through the darkness as they confronted Chernobyl's medusa-like form known as the Black Sun. This monster lived for eons with the darkness and invaded Julius' kingdom ages ago after working with the Dark One to destroy Olympia Magna.

 ** _"Then come on…foolish prince…_** ** _the future Neo King Julius!_** ** _"_** growled Black Sun.

"N-Neo King Julius?!" gasped Makoto, realizing something about that name.

"We will protect this world!" shouted Alexa, readying his Dragon Staff, "YOU WILL NOT HAVE THIS PLANET!"

A beam of light flashed out and smacked onto the medusa but it seemed to have not even fazed the entity. Everyone watched in horror at this sight, hoping that this mess will finally be over.

Moments later, the beam of light exploded and everyone found themselves back at the town line of Sportsbrooke. However, the skies were still darkening above them.

"W-what the hell?!" said Rin.

"We're back," replied Haruka.

"This doesn't make any sense," muttered Shouyou, "It's all quiet."

"Way too quiet," nodded Natsu.

"Everyone else has made it through it seems like," answered Rei, "You guys better go join them."

"No," said Shouyou, "We'll stay together."

"You guys, this isn't a safe mission," replied Nagisa, "We can't afford to lose more lives."

"Maybe but I still have this," answered Shouyou as he took out his Volleyball Rod.

"The Morgan Volleyball Rod," said Alexa, "I remember."

"Yes, it was Dr. Morgan who first developed it and my father being the first player to test it," he replied, "It has powers that can give special talents to athletes based on their skills in that sport."

"It sounds like it has magic like that of the Naismith Crystal Rod," analyzed Rei.

"Yes that's exactly it," replied Natsu, "But it also has attack magic of its own like the other rod in order to protect the rules, its people, and the sport from suffering dark forces."

"And that's when my crystal comes into play," concluded Alexa, "But the one who currently has the Basketball rod…Kagami."

"Should we get him to join us?" asked Makoto.

"We don't have any time," said Gaardus, "Black Sun could strike at any moment."

Before the others could argue, Alexa felt his body glowing and before their eyes, he vanished along with Natsu, Makoto and Shouyou.

"W-WHAT?!" shouted the others.

"W-where did they go!?" gasped Nagisa.

* * *

The former exiles were led by the Vorpal Swords and other inhabitants of Sportsbrooke to regroup at the Downtown Plaza. They all felt that shake in the ground as the exiles realized that Chernobyl power was growing stronger and stronger.

"This is very bad!" said Aone.

"If the Magic Six can't stop this, we're gonna be poisoned!" shouted Sou.

"That's why, all of you must pray your hearts into our heroes," said the Princess Goddess, "We can't let fear defeat us!"

"I hope Shouyou and Natsu are alright," said Daichi.

"Then let's pray for all of them to make a safe return!" replied Hajime.

 _Oikawa, just where could you be_ , he thought.

Tetsurou, Lev, Ryuunosuke, Wakatoshi, Kiyoko and the others clapsed their hands together with each other and prayed for this mess to be over. The Vorpal Swords turned to Kagami and Kuroko handed over the Naismith Crystal Rod.

"Take this," said Kuroko, "You'll definitely need it to pray and reach out to the Magic Six with our powers."

Kagami nodded and moved to the side to create a magical circle from the rod as everyone's hearts blended together with energy flowing out from Sportsbrooke.

* * *

**Flashback: Part 2 of Kei's Backstory**

The deal was finally set in motion; Akiteru would condense all the wealth into a "card" for spending and saving but since it had so much value, it had to be kept a secret. Theagenes was able to set up a trap and killed off the money sharks from trying to take their home.

However, the mother was already facing her own problems…her addiction. After losing her husband, she took herself on many drugs and hallucinations in order to believe that the man was still alive. And it was starting to get worse and worse when the kids found out.

"Mother!" said Akiteru, "We can find you a treatment so you can move on. We have to get out of here before more of these sharks try to get this land."

"And how are you gonna do that?" she asked.

"What was with the money that was saved down below…" he began when she smacked him across the face.

"Don't you…EVER!" she growled, "Touch that!"

"W-what?!" he gasped, "But that was money that was saved, right!?"

"It's all a lie," she answered, "That's not money that we saved…it's all stolen."

"W-WHAT!?" gasped Akiteru while Kei overheard this from a nearby corner of the room.

"Yes…father worked hard to make the money but these treasures…they were stolen by him after I found a letter that he wrote down. Apparently I couldn't go out at him since he's dead but…" she explained.

"You're lying!" said Akiteru, "Father would NEVER do such a thing! This is the drug doing!"

"W-what?!" she growled as she was about to slap him again, "Now you're gonna insult your own mother!"

"I AM TRYING TO HELP YOU!" he shouted angrily, "AND NOW LOOK AT YOURSELF!"

"He's still here," she said, "He's standing behind you."

Akiteru grunted and ran to his room angrily to slam the door. Kei wanted to go check on him but he kenw too well that Akiteru's stubborn anger wasn't gonna go anywhere.

* * *

By dinner time, Kei walked down and saw a few of the remaining fruits on the table with dry bread and other leftovers of leftovers that were almost spoiled. At this point, his appetite was barely alive.

"Go get your brother," said the mom.

Kei walked up to the room to find Akiteru but the brother wasn't there. He gasped when he saw a note on the bed that was written:

_My dear Kei,_

_I have to get out of here to find someone who can provide REAL treatment for mom. I will be back soon, just please hang in there for mom. I don't want her to die from insanity._

_I have the orb locked up in my drawer but the key is there if something does happen to mom. Please use it only as a last resort._

-Brother

Kei's heartbeat went rapid as he had to not tell mom about this but had to find a way to say a white lie. He could hear mother shouting out.

 _He always kept that orb from me,_ he thought, _I need to use it!_

The blond megane chuckled as he realized that this could all be a quick fix; a few simple acts and everything would be his. However the money sharks could come back as well with new people and he didn't want to work on this land alone.

Kei grabbed the orb and summoned Theagenes. The Dark One appeared and asked, "Are you sure someone like you at this age should be using this?"

"Yes," said Kei, "I know what I want and you're gonna do this for me! Break the deal and I'm gonna hold this myself!"

"What do you want?" asked Theagenes.

"Get rid of mom and Akiteru…and I will take the card with me. In return, the orb will be returned to you and someone else can take it," he said.

"Are you sure that's gonna be a smart move, dearie?" asked Theagenes, "Doing this will result in your own soul to grow corrupt."

"I don't care what happens to me!" replied Kei, "I can't live like this any longer! NOW DO IT!"

A few simple snaps and several seconds changed the life of this young, corrupted soul. The mother and the elder brother collapsed to the ground dead by Dark Magic while Kei held the card in his hands, finally free to move on.

"I'll make my own empire," he said, "With this."

Theagenes nodded and took the orb back before vanishing into the mist. Kei sighed in relief for a moment before he began to pack certain things with him.

* * *

**Months Later: Kaijou**

Kei arrived in the small village of Kaijou where he saw several circuses and actors going all around with the show. He barely got out from the mountains of his home to reach here in the outskirts of the Olympus Desert.

"I'm so tired," he sighed, "Who's gonna take me in…?"

"Hey you!" shouted a voice.

Kei turned to see another blond-haired boy looking at him with curiosity, "You're…not from here are you?"

"I'm from the mountains," said Kei, "I lost my family from a bunch of thieves and I barely got out of there."

"I'm so sorry!" replied the blond, "I'm Kise by the way! Kise Ryouta!"

"Kei…Kei Tsukishima," he said, "Is there any room here in this town? I don't have much."

"Why don't you work with me and my family? I'm sure they can use someone for the circus!" smiled Kise.

"I…um…sure!" he agreed, "I won't mind for a bit. I can work here until someone is willing to adopt me."

"We can adopt you!" said Kise, "We get lots of wonderers around and their lives improved thanks to our family business!"

"I guess," shrugged Kei.

 _I can't stay here forever_ , thought Kei, _I have to get to Sportsbrooke before it gets to its prime._

* * *

**Hours after Kise ran away…**

"Kei! KEI!" shouted the mother of Kise.

"W-what happened?!" he cried out.

"It's Kise! He ran away!" she answered.

"H-how did he? He was so happy and…" began Kei.

"It's kinda a long story," replied the father, "Kise didn't want to burden you with the pain we have in this family business. However, I would never think he would try to go out to the desert on his own. We need you to find him and bring the boy back to us."

"Are you sure you can trust me?" asked Kei, "I mean…"

"You've shared a bond with him closer than ours…it's my fault that I haven't properly been the father that I should."

"The same goes for me," agreed the mother.

"Alright, I'll go," he said.

"Here, take some of our money with you," said the father, "Hopefully he didn't ran too far."

Kei nodded and took the money before he packed up again to leave. He got back out towards the southern direction of the desert where he did saw some foot prints that matched the shoes.

Ahead, he saw a strange cloaked figure that looked like was falling into a quick sand or something. Normally Kei wouldn't bother but heard strange voices.

_Help me…help me…and you will be rewarded…_

Kei turned to see some a random yard of rope on the ground and used it to throw at the person to pull out. As soon as it was done, he went up to see the person's face but it wasn't there. He leapt back in fear wondering if it was a ghost or something.

_No need to be scared of me child…I do exist…I'm just…hidden._

"Who are you?" asked Kei, "And what reward do you promise to give?!"

"I've heard about you," said the entity, "You've had some interesting dealings with The Dark One. However, I have something that can give you more than what he has ever given to you."

"And that is?" asked the child.

"The power to create…and exploit," the entity answered, "I need you to create something for me in order to punish those who banished me. In return, I will give you all that you desire."

"You sound like a fraud! Even the Dark One knows his limits," replied Kei.

"You think so?" asked the entity, "You're gonna face challenges someday and people will look at you as a monster, a weakling…no, you have to remain strong and fearless yet people be afraid of you."

Before Kei could reply, the entity shoved something in the boy's chest. For a moment, it was a sharp pain but then it was numb and soothing.

"W-what did you do!?" he shouted.

"I gave you a part of my life…in a crystal known as the Elephant's Foot," the entity explained, "You'll be able to use this power to make weapons and other sophisticated things with some of the dark knowledge in this world."

Kei grunted for a moment but answered, "Fine…but get me to Sportsbrooke."

"Of course…and you'll remember me…as Chernobyl," the entity answered as it snapped its fingers and Kei found himself in the early villages of the city. As for his hunt for Kise, he could honestly care less what happened to that blond. His only agenda was to start his new life here and befriend people with connections and use them eventually for personal gain.

* * *

**Present Day**

_It's very silent_ , thought Alexa, _I can't hear a thing…w-where am I?_

The savior opened his eyes and realized he was floating in outer space with Makoto, Shouyou and Natsu inside a protection bubble.

"W-what's this!?" gasped Alexa.

"I think the Solar Crystal brought us here…maybe it's the final showdown?" asked Shouyou.

"But why would it take us out of a safe environment?" asked Makoto.

"Look you guys!" gasped Natsu as she pointed to a massive sphere of energy in the distance with the face of the Black Sun's medusa with snake-shaped designs.

 _"MuahahahaHAHAHAAHAAAA!"_ laughed the Black Sun, _"My power is finally growing. I have long waited to put waste to this land and finish off the deal with The Dark One!_

**_"Soon…this world…will be destroyed and everyone will die with no trace of evidence or hope to save this planet! And then the power of the Legendary Solar Crystal will become mine when all The Saviors are destroyed!"_ **

The monster laughed and unleashed black waves of energy at them in hopes to break the protection bubble.

"Makoto, maybe the darkness is right…maybe we can't live because of this extreme level of power," said Alexa, holding onto him with some sadness in his face.

"No…Alexa, listen to me! _**I was born to assist you on this journey.** Thanks to that power you carry, I am able to be by your side!_ " he answered.

"M-Mako-chan…" replied Alexa, _"I've always loved you…and did you know that as long as you are with me…I am able to use this power? That's why…I need you. Even without this power, I still love you because you are everything to me to keep going."_

The two leaned in close on each other and their lips touched for a split second before locking them in for a kiss. A small glow of light shimmered between them.

 _It's so warm_ , thought Alexa, _it's like having the fire inside of me…keeping me vigilant. But what is this? I feel like…_

Moments later, Rin, Haruka, Rei and Nagisa appeared by their sides with smiles of hope and confidence in their hearts.

"R-Rin! Rei!" said Alexa.

"Haru! Nagisa!" gasped Makoto.

"That power just now," replied Rei, "The love between the two of you, it brought us here!"

"It's our love for each other," answered Alexa, "But it's also all of your love as well."

"We're gonna fight this beast down!" smirked Rin.

The monster laughed a loud echo across the scene as the son of Small Giant turned to the creature that turned him evil and said, "And you…Black Sun… ** _For Swimming and Volleyball, I am the half and half Suiei God of Cheerfulness and Ambition, Suiei Hinata!_** " chanted Shouyou, twirling his rod into a pose, **_"In the name of Our Father, the Small Giant, we will punish you_**!"

Black Sun laughed again and said, _"What a foolish descendant…you clearly don't understand what power you have inside of you can truly do."_

Shouyou grunted in annoyance but Alexa approached to him and Natsu with hope in his heart. The other guys held their hands together in a circle to send their prayers and magic to Alexa and the Hinata siblings.

"Shouyou! Natsu! Have faith in each other and for your friends!" said Alexa, "You must pray for all your love ones as you must combine your powers with me! Send forth all the power of the Solar Crystal and with the love in your hearts!"

Alexa, Shouyou and Natsu readied their combined powers and they shouted together:

**_"SUIEEEEIIIII CLEANSINNNNGGGGGG HALAAAAAATTTTIONNNNNNNNN!"_ **

Three beams of light (one yellow and two orange) soared out, flying through space and smacking to the Black Sun. The monster grumbled in pain as the trio focused on their hearts and their loved ones praying for them, keeping their faith to the fullest.

"BRUAHHHHHHHHHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" echoed the voice of Black Sun as an explosion of fire, light, and nuclear energy like an exploding supernova. The entire energies were unleashed across space, blinding everyone in the light.

Alexa felt dizzy again from using much of the Solar Crystal and began to pass out but Makoto caught him in the light as the dusty remains of the monster were scattered across the dark, empty blackness.

 

* * *

When the light cleared away, everyone was back on Sportsbrooke as the powers of The Savior (Kagami) and the Princess Goddess (Kuroko) swept through for the finishing touches on restoring the megacity once more.

"It's a miracle!" shouted several of the people.

"Princess Goddess! The Savior!" shouted many others.

"Magic Six!" cheered a group of friends as everyone cried happily.

All of the heroes assembled together as Shouyou and a bunch of chosen volleyball players became the new team of Karasuno White Doves with magic that they were bestowed upon from the Morgan Crystal Rod.

The suburb city of Neo Karasuno was finally open and the exiles were finally renamed as citizens. Memories from the past were also restored back into their minds as well and everyone moved on from that sad day.

"We finally did it!" smiled Nagisa, "The feud is finally over, Rei-chan!"

"And we got swimming to finally be opened in this town!" he agreed.

"I want to race with you Haru, we haven't practiced in months!" said Rin.

Haruka facepalmed but nodded, "Whatever. Just remember I still swim free…"

"Yeah, yeah," he answered, "But at least we can have new opponents to test and new people to train too! That's what our family wanted…to give swimming a try to anyone."

"You guys ready to see the pool?" asked Akashi.

"Like hell yeah!" replied Nagisa, "We're dehydrated!"

Makoto and Alexa chuckled at this and the Vorpal Swords led the Magic Six and Gaardus to the new Hawakoto Olympia Pool located not far from the Basketball Stadium in downtown.

* * *

Upon arriving at the pool deck, Haru already stripped off his clothes and jumped into his natural environment while the others laughed and proceeded to magically transform to their bathing suits and jumped in to celebrate this.

"Wowww…Harucchi's really fast!" said Kise.

"Rin-chin too," agreed Murasakibara as he tossed his drink to the garbage.

"I want to try this!" Aomine, "Let's go change!"

"Oh boy," replied Midorima.

"I'm gonna pass," laughed Kuroko, "I should return to my duties and…"

"Why?" asked Kagami, laughing.

"I had to test myself in this pool to make sure it was safe and I almost drowned," he sighed, "I can't do this."

"Awww, Kuroko-chan need some swimming lessons?" asked Nagisa.

"Well I can't wait to see your swimming style Nagisacchi!" replied Kise.

"I got a bad feeling about this…" said Rei.

"With what? That they can't swim?" asked Nagisa.

"With Kise-kun trying to copy off my beautiful butterfly!" replied the megane as Kise started to laugh, "I can't help my powers, Reicchi,"

"Well…on the other hand…I suppose you can face off with me and Rin-senpai," shrugged Rei.

"Challenge accepted!" smirked Kise.

Makoto swam on his backstroke and floated around while Haruka reached the wall on his freestyle and turned to see Rin by his side.

"I will always find you…Haru," smiled Rin, "No matter how fast you swim."

Gaardus squeaked as Alexa finally stepped into the room (after resting from the fighting) as everyone stopped to see him. The final star smiled and went to the diving block and dove into make his freestyle. Makoto smiled as he saw his partner improving and finally going as fast like the good old days on Aqua Duniya.

"Wow…Alexa's amazing!" gasped Aomine.

"It's very exceptional and special too," agreed Akashi, "This team will be very important for the city…both as heroes and as athletes."

As soon as Alexa reached the wall, he turned to see Makoto with a smile. Alexa jumped onto him and the two splashed beneath the water before making a brief kiss. They returned to the surface to laugh it out happily.

"Well I do need to head back," said Kuroko, "You guys have _**fun**_ …really."

"Uhhhh," began Midorima, "Are you saying that?"

"I should head back out as well," replied Akashi, "I need to appoint Shouyou as leader for the Karasuno White Doves as the new magical team."

"Take it easy you guys," said Aomine, "Kise and I will head back with Kagami to the loft for the food for later tonight."

"I'm gonna take a special visit for my lost one," sighed Midorima while maintaining some smile, "I'll talk to you later, Makoto."

"Right," he nodded as his half-brother walked out.

One by one, the Vorpal Swords left, knowing that they were gonna start to screw around soon and wanted to give them some peace and quiet.

"Makoto, do you think it's possible we can bring back Takao?" asked Alexa quietly.

Makoto shook his head and answered, "I don't know if the Solar Crystal can do that precisely. Besides, probably best not to. Takao died to save him…unless there's something about the darkness we don't know about."

"I wonder how the others are doing back at home," muttered Nagisa.

"I think they're doing alright," replied Rei, "Sousuke, Nitori and Momo are just doing their usual duties. Kou is probably praying for us."

"I'm tired of fighting," said Rin, "Haru…let's play!"

Haruka blushed as the others chuckled. Nagisa jumped behind Rei's back and said, "Come on Rei-chan! I haven't had some fun like this for a while and you promised me after this battle!"

Alexa turned to Makoto with a wink of his eye, indicating a blush on the taller man but the two nodded.

"Are we gonna seriously make out here in this pool?" asked Haruka.

"Well they did put a lot of effort," said Rin, "But we can use our magic to clean this."

Makoto and Alexa swam off to another corner and began to grip on each other tightly while starting to kiss around on their faces and necks. Nagisa chuckled evilly and licked behind Rei's ear, making the megane blush red.

"N-Nagisa!" moaned Rei as the blond massaged his hands on the megane's chest.

Rin gently kissed Haru on the forehead before locking their lips together but Haruka moved and said, "You remember?"

"Haru…can we just at least chill for a bit?" asked Rin quietly, "I know we have to them the truth still."

Haru remained silent before he answered, "Then I'll be the one to top you for this turn."

Before the red-hair could reply, Haruka moved down towards Rin's swimsuit and slowly peeled it open to see the delicious shaft growing.

Alexa looked into Makoto eyes with a smile and said, "Thank you for being with me."

They exchanged the kiss for a few moments and Makoto brought him towards the shallow end of the pool and began to lick on his partner's chest and grinding on their swimsuits.

"Ahh…aahhhh…" moaned Rei while Nagisa used his fingers to open his beloved partner slowly.

"You're so beautiful…Rei-chan," smiled the blond while he slipped in a third finger while Rei blushed like a tomato.

"H-Haru…" breathed Rin as his lover licked around on his stick before throbbing in and out, taking him one suck at a time.

Makoto and Alexa grinded their exposed shafts together slowly as they were drowning themselves in a sea of ecstasy. Finally, after so many battles and drama…they were able to be in their somewhat natural environment as well as going through another moment of passion.

Alexa kissed Makoto tightly on the lips as their tongues exchanged saliva while trying hard to not bump each other's teeth. Makoto was starting to feel a bit drenched in a pre-stage expulsion but Alexa slowed down so they could explore each other's body.

"N-Na-g-g-isaa.." moaned Rei, "C-Can we do this-aahhh…i-in….nuaahh…l-lockers?"

"You do realize it'll make a lot of echoes," chuckled the blond, "But it would be more fun that way."

They got off while Nagisa jumped onto Rei and they both kissed while the megane held the blond in a bridal style where they got to a bench and continued their foreplay and teasing on each other.

"Those idiots," muttered Rin, "There better not be anyone else here."

"Focus on us," said Haru as he was poking himself to go inside.

Rin pulled him in for another kiss as the heat in their sweat dripped across their racing skin. They both grunted in pleasure as Haru swayed himself back and forth. Rin's face began to twitched as he hasn't been the bottom for a while.

"R-Rin?" asked Haruka.

"Keep going," he answered, "I almost for-g-toaahhhhhhhh!"

Haruka moved in and out a bit faster while Rin's legs were up on his partner's shoulders. Haru held one of the legs to keep himself in support and could feel the temperature in their bodies heating up closer to the climax.

"May I?" asked Makoto as he looked to Alexa's solar eyes with his tower waiting to be used.

Alexa gasped a little as he remembered that night when he was still Prince Julius and Makoto as Antonius…that night…when they made their first romantic bond. With a nod, Makoto moved his way in as more memories from the past flowed into their minds and hearts.

"M-Ma-K-k-koto…" he breathed, "Unghahhh,"

"Alexa…" moaned Makoto as he began to move faster with his grunts almost at a high-pitch. Alexa pulled Makoto in closer as their bodies rubbed on each other, connecting their inner spirits as one.

Back inside the lockers, Rei finally made his way into the blond as they both clutch tightly on each other. Nagisa lightly moaned that almost made Rei chuckle at the cuteness of his voice.

"You know better than that," smirked Nagisa, "That I should've topped you!"

Rei ignored him and thrusted in deeper in which gave the blond a surprising shock of this wonderful sensation. Nagisa locked his lips into Rei's as they were both approaching to the final splash.

"R-Reiii...REI-CHAN!" moaned the blond as he could feel his shaft about to explode as Rei gripped Nagisa's butt to hold him.

"H-Haru…! I'm-g-gon-naa" gasped Rin as his tower began to spasm out while the former continued to slam in and out.

"Ma-MAKOTOOOO!" cried out Alexa as he and his partner splashed out, feeling a dual sensation of warm and cold flowing in and out of their bodies.

The three pairings were lost in time and felt deeply connected to each other for the first time in a long while. After so many battles and conflicts and drama in between, this moment was something they all could never forget. They all chuckled happily and tasted their fluids with some extra kissing and rubbing on each other's skin.

From there, they all regrouped to each other to joke around some more and continued to splash happily in skinny dipping.

* * *

**Outside**

Gaardus flew around high up in the skies knowing that the boys were going to do some naughty things together. The Phoenix flapped its wings as it spread some sparkles of light snowing lightly in Sportsbrooke to make an evening celebration of the reunion of the two sports.

 _Magic Six_ , thought Gaardus, _I'm afraid your time for each other is going to be cut short soon…again._

Moments after his thought passed, the earring began to glow, showing him a palace that was all in ruins...but where? Could it be?

* * *

After having their session in the pool, the heroes walked through the streets of Sportsbrooke (after cleaning up their mess) and decided to make a group date (after Nagisa suggested about going around the city).

"Wooowww, look at the lights!" smiled Nagisa.

"This must be Gaardus's doing," said Rin.

"He did this for our 18th birthdays," answered Makoto, remembering those happy times, "And for you too…Alexa and he even made a special fireworks sequence for you since you were a year younger."

"I know…" replied Alexa as he held Makoto's hand, "But…I feel a bit sad to be younger than you guys."

"Oh don't say that!" said Rei, "We love you the way you are! It's true that you were born a year after all of us, but don't let that make you think that you are not special."

"You are our Prince," agreed Haruka, "Prince Julius of Atlantis."

"That was such a long time ago…" sighed Alexa, "I wish we could at least see the ruins of it now if we could."

"We don't know if any of that exists in this world," replied Rei, "Maybe Gaardus might know?"

"Oi! Gaardus!" shouted Rin.

"Where did he go?" asked Makoto.

"Probably left the pool before we had sex," shrugged Nagisa.

Moments later, the bird appeared before them with its earing glowing.

"G-Gaardus?!" gasped Makoto.

"The earring is glowing, why is that?" asked Rei, "We can't possibly be moving to another world!"

"No," replied the bird, "But I found something that is making this glow like crazy."

"It's getting brighter and brighter!" said Haruka as he shielded his eyes.

Gaardus screeched loudly and the light finally stopped, leaving them all in confusion.

"W-what the hell just happened?" asked Rin.

"Did you find something?" asked Nagisa.

"I did," said the bird, "I saw ruins of a former grand place…Alexa…it might be the old kingdom of Atlantis."

"EHHH!?" he gasped, "We were just talking about that…"

"I know," the bird answered, "But you guys did enough for now. You all deserve a little break and maybe some practice on your magic and swimming."

"But if this place has more clues to our past," began Rei, "We'd be more than happy to see it, please."

"We will, I will take you guys there," said Gaardus, "But for now, let's enjoy this celebration with our new friends."

"I wanna go see Shouyou-chan and Natsu-chan!" answered Nagisa.

"Definitely a lot of people to talk to," nodded Makoto.

"I'm ready, let's do this!" smirked Rin and they all ran together happily through the nightlife, heading to the new town of Neo Karasuno.

* * *

**Kingdom of Hawakoto, Aqua Duniya**

The crystal tower stopped glowing as waves of light gently brushed through the kingdom, signaling another victory to the Magic Six. Everyone cheered happily but wondered what was happening to the heroes for it has been at least several months since their departure.

Sousuke and Nitori stood on guard at a nearby shrine when they saw Momotarou rushing up to them from the kingdom.

"Yamazaki-Senpai, Nitori-senpaiiii!" cheered Momo happily.

The two watched him panting his breath as Nitori asked, "What's going on? Did something happen?"

"The Magic Six have managed to establish peace on Olympia!" he replied, "I can't believe that they were able to do that!"

Sousuke smiled and thought to himself, _Rin…I hope you're doing well._

"So then," said Nitori, "What's going to happen there?"

"No idea, maybe they'll be home soon!" smiled Momotarou, "I can't wait for the souvenirs!"

"That's definitely you," replied Sousuke, "Maybe Rin found some desert stag beetles?"

"YEEEEHAAAWWWWW!" replied Momo, "HE BETTER FIND SOME UNIQUE ONES TOO! HAHAHAAA!"

"Well we'd love to celebrate but we're on guard duty here," said Nitori.

"Oh I'm also here to switch shifts with Yamazaki-senpai!" he smiled, "If that's alright?"

"Of course," he smiled, picking up his bag, "I've been here since this morning. I'll go rest up."

"Yeah please do!" said Momo, "You've been too hard on yourself lately!"

"Take care!" replied Nitori and Momo, waving out.

He smiled with a wave before turning around with a slightly grim expression. The last several hours of his duty as a Water Knight were taking toll of his health a little. He missed Rin so much and was already feeling lost and lonely without him.

_Then of course, Haru…got in the way…_

As he passed through the forest bridge, he looked over the creek that led streaming to the ocean and wondered what has happened to Rin. Ever since he refused to do the medley, calling it lame, Rin took his pride to the others as they were already 'prophesized' to become the Magic Six.

"What if I didn't say no to him?" he muttered, "If only I could agree with his beliefs…maybe I would've had him to myself…"

His eyes grew darker by the moment. He took out his riffle and blasted down a small tree branch into pieces. Already the thoughts about Haruka and Rin together were pissing him off.

 _You don't deserve him,_ thought Sousuke, _while it's my fault for not agreeing with you…it's your fault to bring Haru and the others into your life…just because of a relay…and now here you are…Suiei Gods…_

 ** _"Feeling lonely aren't we?"_** hissed a voice.

"W-WHO'S THERE?!" growled Sousuke as he readied his weapon.

 ** _"Oh hush now…I am not here to hurt you,"_** replied the voice.

Sousuke turned to see a dark aura glowing in front of him.

 ** _"I see…your heart…you have come a long, painful way…"_** the voice continued, **_"You are lost without the one person you love…"_**

"W-WHO ARE YOU!?" shouted Sousuke.

 ** _"Your dark heart fades in and out,"_** said the voice, reaching out its skeletal hand, **_"You're a Water Knight trying to save the day…but you don't have an opportunity for yourself. Fortunately, I am what you've been looking for…"_**

"S-STOP IT!" he cried out but the skeletal hand unleashed a glowing dark magic, hypnotizing him. His arms and legs were paralyzed and his body frozen as well.

**_"Come…join me…and my brothers...and I'll give you…your Rin back…."_ **

Sousuke reached out his hand to the skeleton's limb, creating ripples of energy across his body. A dark skeletal mark appeared on his forehead as he could feel his body twisting and turning before it warped into a ball of dark energy.

 _"Haruka….N-Nanase…"_ said Sousuke, feeling the rage coming to life, _"Your life ends…now…"_

 ** _"The game has begun now…brothers…"_** said the skeletal entity as he stepped onto the scene with a bunch of other skeletal warriors by his side.

 ** _"Welcome…Skullsuke…to the Brotherhood of the Skull Creatures,"_** said Kulta, the Skull Grinder. His armor was neon-trans orange with a mixture of silver linings and gunmetal gray chest plate with chains and gears. Kulta wore a golden, ornate mask with ancient scripting and symbols. Coming out from the side of its head were small curvy horns. His limbs had some armor that were pitted from various battles.

The other skeletal warriors had similar designs as Kulta but were either smaller in size with different colors. Some of the creatures were looking like scorpions with neon-trans-lime with stingers that double as pinchers.

Sousuke's body returned to the scene after it unmerged from the darkness. He glowed with vengeance as his right eye turned from aquamarine into blood-red with streaks of orange while his armor was gone, replaced with his bare skin and teal spikes and a massive golden chain around his neck.

"SOUSUKKEEEE!" shouted a nearby voice.

Kulta turned to see Momotarou and Nitori readying their weapons but the Skull Grinder used his Mask of Creation to throw an energy at the two, throwing them to the ground and knocking them out.

"Let's go," replied the leader to his lieutenant, "Take us to where the runaway princess is at…and we'll have Sousuke take his revenge to the Magic Six."

A wave of dark clouds rolled in around them, taking the group in transit to the next world while Sousuke's growl could be heard amongst the skeletons.

"Feeling vengeful, aren't we?" asked Kulta.

 _"I only need to kill the one who stole my opportunity away from me…"_ replied Skullsuke, "Thanks to you, I will take this as an honor."

"I've heard your tale and the legend of the Suiei Gods," replied the Skull Grinder, "An unlikely alliance was made."

The clouds continued to swirl around them as the vision grew darker and darker. Skullsuke echoed a deep laughter as he readied his claw for whatever was about to happen next.

* * *

_And somewhere outside of Sportsbrooke…_

The winds picked up around the dunes as an armored figure stepped down from her travels. She looked up to see dots of lights littering far on the horizon. Moments earlier, she formed and emerged from the sands that made up her new body.

She had traveled far and wide to escape from many dangers and still hasn't found a place to hide. However, this town almost reminded her of home except…

I wonder what kind of beings live here, she thought.

The armored figure took out her staff and turned to a spiky looking plant that reminded her of a thornax. She took a blast out from the weapon and turned the cactus into dust before walking down the path to the town line.

 _Let's see how long this town will last before they fear me,_ thought Sakari.

* * *

 **_~Book 2: Unforgiven Ace –_ ** **_許されざるエース_ ** **_–_ ** **_END_ **

_TO BE CONTINUED IN…_

**_~Book 3: Realm of the Bio-Chronicles –_ ** **_バイオクロニクルのレルム_ **

_FEBRUARY 2016: Prepare yourselves…BIONICLE is coming to Sportsbrooke!_


End file.
